《Transposed》 Prologue Words have power. Words bring order. Words offer shared meaning to our world and our existence. Words project passion, for good or ill. Words forge nations and tear them asunder. Words are fired first, before any shots in war and words lead us to times of peace. Words of great people are remembered while the untold stories of the masses become dust. And, like the masses, words too can be forgotten. Venerable words are still vulnerable to erosion by time and entropy. We are able to glean some shadow of their lost meaning. That is but a frail facsimile of what they conveyed to the people who spoke or wrote them however. Even now, some meaning is often lost from one language to another. My words here may be translated and some of the intended nuance may be lost in that process. What then happens when entire languages and time periods are lost, leaving us to fumble about in the dark as we attempt to dissect that which we cannot relate to¡­ because we have not the words.
¡°You¡¯re wondering why I¡¯ve been gone so long, where I¡¯ve been, and why you¡¯re here.¡± Five of my friends sat around the table as we had done so many times before, ready to sling dice and slay monsters. They each nodded while looking at me with a mixture of happiness, confusion, and shock. Can¡¯t really say that I blamed them. I disappeared a few years ago without so much as a ¡®goodbye¡¯. An unfortunate consequence of my own curiosity and sense of adventure. ¡°Before we get into that, let me begin with an apology.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a heavy sigh. Haven¡¯t been nervous like this talking to people in a while. They should understand my reasoning once I¡¯m done telling them what happened though. ¡°I should have at least sent word that I would be leaving for a bit. Though I really had no idea when, or if, I would be back.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°It¡¯s all good Sully.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re just glad to have you back.¡± ¡°And now you can tell us about your grand adventure, digging up whatever it was in some ancient ruins.¡± I laughed at that statement. A real, full belly laugh. Couldn¡¯t stop. It was not an inaccurate assessment of what I had been doing I suppose. I had to wipe the tears from my eyes and calm down before continuing on, ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to tell you all about it. This time was a bit different than most others though.¡± It was not that uncommon for me to ¡®disappear¡¯ for months at a time. Half a year or more was in the realm of possibility. This had been my longest stint away though, and for far different reasons. I had the forethought to send a letter to the family attorneys and accountants but that was it¡­ because I didn¡¯t want to lose my house. ¡°In the past I¡¯ve gone all over the world working one dig or another. Sometimes going through well documented sites to see things for myself. I¡¯d spend weeks in foreign libraries pouring over ancient texts.¡± The crew sat there, dice in hand as it were, ready for a game. Tabletop adventurers, as always. It was comforting to see that little had changed with them. Running them through this adventure was going to be fun. I knew my smile was growing, mischievous and somewhat prankish. ¡°Instead of boarding a flight this time, I never left my house.¡± Before anyone could even ask I had my hand up, gesturing that they needed to wait. ¡°First, you each need to decide on your character and start rolling that up before I continue. There is a primer guide for you with this ¡®home baked¡¯ game of mine. You can also choose to play yourself, yourself with some changes, or a new character entirely. Your call.¡± I passed out character sheets, a printed out quickstart guide, and a setting primer to each of them. ¡°Everything you need is there. While you¡¯re working on that, I¡¯ll kick off this tale.¡± Chapter 1 Prepped and ready, as much as I could be, I stepped through the portal heavily laden with gear. It was a weird sensation passing through the shimmering surface. Exiting, on the other hand, was more unpleasant than just an odd, passing sensation. No burning or soul rending. So, that¡¯s a plus. I fell, face planting into the ground. That was the unpleasant bit. As I dropped I couldn¡¯t help but note the hewn stone rushing toward me. Greyish in color and cool on my face, if rather hard and uninviting to my head in general. The sudden meeting of face to floor was one I could have gone without. Not at all like landing in a mountain of pillows or ball pit. Inadvertently, I shivered at the errant thought of ball pits. They always freaked me out as a child; bottomless, with nightmarish creatures. As an adult they were slightly more creepy. I came to realize that they did, in fact, have a finite physical depth. Unlike that revelation, the other factor proved to be too true. These filth pits were the disgusting breeding ground for a plethora of things from the lilliputian snot factories that frequented them. Groaning, I was forced to unburden myself from the oversized gym bag and hiking pack before sitting up. Though I was theoretically prepared for a zombie apocalypse, I had perhaps not considered practicality; needing to actually run, climb, fall, or anything else. Slow moving walker types, that is what I expected. Stepping, or falling, through a portal that deposited me more than a couple feet above a hard surface had clearly not been part of the plan. Could have been worse. Water would have been worse. Lava would have been much worse. Thankfully, the floor was not lava. My head hurt. Fortunately my eyes adjusted to the dim light rather quickly. As the world stopped spinning, the scene around me resolved to one I could begin focusing on. Comprehension would come later. Torches flickered on the walls, casting a warm amber glow across the fallen bodies. Four, no... five, of them. Two in dull grey robes with masks covering their faces, two in more vibrant hues, and one in dented plate mail. It took a moment for my brain to get into gear. ¡°Armor? ¡­ Bodies?!¡± I sat up faster than I should have, vision still swimming more than I would like - which was none at all, for the record. The only thing I picked up was my suitcase sized grimoire, clutching it as an overweight club-shield. If I had a character sheet, it would not list a proficiency with clubs, shields, or improvised club-shields. There was blood on the ground. I couldn¡¯t really gauge which bodies it belonged to or if it was a collective macabre redecoration effort. So much blood. A group effort, for sure. Academically I knew bodies had a lot of blood in them, but seeing it strewn about like this was a different matter altogether. I had not landed in an inky red pool, so there is that. If I had a luck stat it would have to be at least above-average. Armored guy blinked at me. I blinked at him. We shared a moment of mutually dazed anxious curiosity, blinking at one another across the room. Our tender moment was broken as a roar shook me to my core. The sheer volume and concussion of it reverberated in my bones. If you have ever heard a lion roar, it was like that. Possibly more bass, probably more volume, and it felt like it came from immediately behind me. I had never been so close to such a roar. Slowly, I turned to look over my shoulder at what I hoped was just empty space behind me. No such luck. Critical failure on the part of my luck. I saw a reddish humanoid chest at eye level. Quickly looking up, the gaze of a rather pissed off looking reddish bull¡¯s head atop the humanoid torso met mine. Horns and all. Unlike the lions I have encountered at a distance, there was nothing between angry-bullheaded-thing and myself. We too shared a moment, if slightly more brief than the one with the armored guy. Not a tender moment. The massive weapon held above him quickly registered in my addled brain. There was not a single conscious thought going through my head in that instant. None. Not one. Zero thoughts. Muted crickets. I spun to face it, finally thinking, ¡°Minotaur?!¡± Maybe I had been trying to block his weapon. Maybe I was only trying to spin around to face the damned creature. Not sure really. The grimoire was the only thing in my grasp. Not hope; that dream was in another castle. So, it was that grimoire that hit the beast, right in its kisser. ¡°Do minotaurs kiss?¡± I thought, the instant before I smacked the large man-bull-thing in the snout like a naughty puppy. With a very large book that weighed as much as a small child. Unintentionally. Which I would never do to a dog. I couldn¡¯t accurately describe what happened next. There was an explosion - that much I am certain of. I was thrown across the room and knocked unconscious. So, you know, no real need to worry about anything for a bit. ***** There was muffled yelling, like someone trying to shout at me while I was under water. It didn¡¯t feel like drowning. It didn¡¯t feel particularly good either. Determined to go back to sleep I rolled over, groaning in pain. It was not a school day and I wanted to hibernate. A warm, comforting sensation washed over me. I heard faint chanting. It was rhythmic and soothing, as much as some Slavic offshoot language could be anyway. Was that Russian? That feeling of relief was rapidly replaced by burning and itching. A million fire ants were crawling and biting all over me. I couldn¡¯t open my eyes, nor could I move to rid myself of the pests. More not-quite-Russian muttering. Insistent this time. Strong hands grabbed my wrists and legs, pinning me down. A tepid, vile viscous fluid was forced into my mouth and slid down my throat. Well, I can confirm that torture definitively sucks. Blissful unconsciousness took me again. ***** I woke to a brisk breeze in a large, well appointed bedroom with multiple outside doors standing open. Curtains fluttered on briny winds. Loud gulls called to one another somewhere nearby. The bed was larger than any other I have ever seen. Every detail was pulled from some fantasy fairytale and I would be its storybook princess. Momentary discomfort caused the world to spin briefly as I scooched into a sitting position. The air was even more cool now on my bare chest, which really helped clear the cobwebs around my brain. A girl stepped through one of the doors and stared at me, mouth agape. Like I wasn¡¯t supposed to be here. Perhaps this was her bed? ¡°Hello?¡± With a start, she hustled to a door across the room. Not quite running, but moving much faster than a walk. More of a jog with a soft ¡®j¡¯, with decorum. She spoke briefly in that Slavic sounding language just outside the door before her quick, soft footsteps pitter pattered away. Boots on stone approached. More than a couple of them. Running her few words through my head repeatedly, I couldn¡¯t place them. The words didn¡¯t register among the twenty-odd languages I spoke fluently or the dozens of others I had passing familiarity with. I was about to hop out of the bed and realized, much to my dismay, that I am not wearing any clothes. Being bare chested and chilly was one thing, but fully nude? Now I was staring at four hardened looking men entering the room, each holding a halberd. Their weapons and posture weren¡¯t aggressive per se, but the weapons weren¡¯t just for show. Maybe the halberds are for show, but the swords on their hips aren¡¯t. I am not about to gamble with those odds anyway. ¡°Fine, maybe I¡¯ll stay in bed,¡± I said, crossing my arms with a harrumph - not at all princess-like. I looked around to see where my clothes were, remembering my grimoire and bags. They weren¡¯t anywhere to be seen. ¡°Gents, you wouldn¡¯t perhaps know where my belongings are, would you?¡± They stood there, unresponsive, content to stare me into submission. Well, modesty was not something I particularly gave any fucks about. Culturally it was important in some places I¡¯ve visited, but more often than not people just didn¡¯t care so long as you didn¡¯t take a stroll to a market in the buff, drunk. Not that I would be speaking from experience. Throwing the blankets back in a huff garnered a reaction from the guards. Each of them took a step back into a readied posture, but nothing further. They didn¡¯t advance, so I took that as a good sign that I could get out of bed without being impaled. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. It took more than a couple scoots, and a roll, to reach the side of the bed, which was lower to the ground than anticipated. Only once I stood up did I realize how short these guards were. Each of them was at shoulder level or much lower, and I am definitely shy of two meters. Walking toward the open doors I shrugged while watching them as they watched me. Aside from turning their whole bodies to follow, they didn¡¯t move to intercept. More solid signs that they weren¡¯t going to skewer me. Thumbs up from my instincts, for what they are worth. I stepped out to a long partially covered balcony overlooking a picturesque seaside town plucked out of ancient Italy. Multi-story buildings stepped down toward an active harbor. Looking to the sides, and directly below, it was easy to guess that I was in some sort of castle or fort at the top of the city. Closer to the top than the bottom as well. Definitely too high up to Rapunzel my way down, not that I had the hair for it. At least twenty stories between the balcony and courtyard below. The view was overwhelmingly beautiful. A gust chilled me, reigning in my daydreaming. I didn¡¯t know where I was, but I was alive and comfortable, if a bit naked. Mostly positives so far. I could feel the air on my scalp¡­ On my scalp? Feeling the top of my head I realized that my hair was gone - all of it. I was completely bald from head to toe and had no eyebrows. Great. The guards were vigilant, never taking their eyes off me as I walked about the room. I opened various chests hoping to find something to wear, to no avail. They were all empty so far. Finally, in one large armoire I found clothes, in the last place I looked. As is often the case, it could be that one did not continue a search once something was found. Not my clothes, but these looked to have been placed here intentionally for me. Some undergarments looked comfortable but all proved to be far too snug. I tried on a couple pairs of pants, sans underpants, but they too weren¡¯t big enough. The only things that actually fit were some deep red robes, which barely went below my knees. Oh well, nothing to be done about it for the moment. The robe was made of a material that was comfortable even without smallclothes, so that¡¯s what I went with. Multiple pairs of boots, slippers, and sandals didn¡¯t fit either. Barefoot and commando with a crimson moo-moo. Excellent. The upside to a lot of these little details is that I am damned near certain that the portal didn¡¯t just drop me off down the road from my house or something. No, I was definitely not in Kansas anymore. Not that I lived in Kansas. An entire troop of booted footsteps thumped along outside the room. The guards snapped to attention as the same armored guy from before walked in, a significant entourage in tow. His armor was no longer beat to hell either. Definitely someone important then. Accompanying him were four well geared guards and more than a half dozen dudes in robes of varying colors. Dudes who, as a group, were composed of men and women. All of them were short. Again, not tiny or anything, but the tallest was easily a head and a half shorter than me. Important armored guy said a bunch of things to or at me. None of it made sense. A few times he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth after saying something, which seemed odd. It was distinctive and repetitive enough to mean something. For long minutes I said nothing. He spoke to some of the people in robes, each of whom tried speaking in a variety of languages. None of them fit anything I knew or have heard before. A few times I furrowed my brow while trying to understand them. Nothing. Armored guy spoke again, probably a single sentence, and then clucked. It sounded like a question, so I shrugged, ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t know what the hell you¡¯re saying. Not even a little bit.¡± Something I said, or did, earned me a round of ahhh¡¯s and ohh¡¯s from the robed guys. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t understand me either,¡± I sighed. The oldest robe guy stepped forward, ¡°Huh?¡± He said something else and clucked his tongue. Definitely getting the inquisitive vibe from his stresses and intonations. I shook my head and shrugged again, ¡°Huh?¡±, receiving... more wisened sounds of understanding. Well, ¡®huh¡¯ was nearly universal and shrugging might be as well. Time to change tactics here. I pulled at my clothing, ¡°Robe.¡± I repeated this a couple times. They looked at one another, clearly confused. The robed guys all conferred with one another. So, I slowly approached them. The guards were rather tense, hands reaching for weapons. Not wanting to cause an inter-dimensional incident, I stopped and put my hands up, taking a step back. Without hesitation the four elite looking guards immediately placed themselves in front of their leader and drew their weapons. The other four guards flanked them, shielding the robed dudes. ¡°Fuck!¡± I yelled as I immediately dropped to my knees and placed my hands behind my head. The only thing I could do further is literally prostrate myself, which worked in most cultures to show obsequiousness or capitulation. Leader guy raised his voice, admonishing the guards if I had to guess, and stepped in front of them. The guards all eased a bit and sheathed their weapons. He looked me in the eye, said something in a calm tone, then raised his head once sharply. ¡°Stand?¡± He raised an eyebrow and repeated himself. Ever so slowly I stood, placing my hands at my sides. I tried the same thing again a couple times, ¡°Robe.¡± The group in robes conferred and the eldest of them stepped toward me again. He mirrored my motion, tugging on his clothing and said, ¡°Robe,¡± rolling the R sound with a distinctive trill. I nodded eagerly. He did the same thing again, but this time said a single word in their language a couple times. It definitely sounded Slavic, but also was distinctly not. Nothing close to any of the words for clothing, apparel, robe, or anything else of the sort that I knew. I couldn¡¯t connect it to anything resembling indo-european languages. Their words were not derivative of anything I knew, and linguistics was my thing. I tugged mine at the shoulder and repeated what he said, which sounded more than a little like ¡®koolaid¡¯ with an ¡®s-k¡¯ sound at the end, ¡°Kool-aid-ssk.¡± A lot of excited words were exchanged as they communicated amongst themselves, obviously pleased. I looked to the leader and pointed at my chest as I said, ¡°Sully.¡± He raised his eyebrow, so I repeated it a couple times. Armored guy said something to him before he took a step forward and pointed at himself, ¡°Ness-po-lan.¡± Then he nodded toward me and said, ¡°Sooley.¡± Fucking close enough! This was progress. His name sounded like ¡®Ness-po-lan¡¯ anyway. With a nod toward him I tested it out, ¡°Ness-po-lan.¡± He gave a hearty laugh and reached his hand out toward me as if he wanted to shake hands. I confidently, but slowly, reached mine out toward his. Before I could grasp his hand, he grasped my forearm. I responded in kind, clasping his wrist. With a broad smile he pulled me forward with surprising strength and attempted to put his arm around my shoulder. Laughing again when he couldn¡¯t do so, he put his hand high on my back and led me out of the room and down the hall. The wide halls were adorned periodically with tapestries and paintings depicting various people, landscapes, and battles. Nespolan led me through the castle, he and the others taught me a couple new words as we walked. I had to stop once during the ten minute walk there. Couldn¡¯t help it, I was winded. Whatever happened, it didn¡¯t seem like I¡¯d recovered fully. He led me into a dining hall with a table large enough to seat at least forty people. With a barked command the people already present, servants if I had to guess, scurried out of the room. My host gestured to one of the chairs at the near end of the table. I pulled out the chair and sat. He took the much larger seat at the head of the table next to me then, I assume, ordered everyone to take seats. None of the rooms felt small, but the furniture was definitely made for their size, not mine. It wasn¡¯t quite the children¡¯s table, but my knees wouldn¡¯t fit under the table with my feet flat on the ground. I looked at him and tapped on the large dining table a few times, ¡°Table.¡± ¡°Lostak,¡± he responded with a knock on the hard wooden surface. I nodded, ¡°Table¡­ lostak.¡± As we sat there, I went through some more words with them. Nespolan seemed entertained by the process, for now at least. Chair, finger, eye, nose, mouth, and perhaps a dozen others were all I had gotten through by the time servants opened a pair doors. I gasped when the first green skinned humanoid creature crossed the threshold, holding a plate of food. They were each shorter than my hosts,with mottled green skin. Upon first glance, I immediately thought they were orcs of some sort. Ripped straight out of a damned game or something. Large eyes, no discernable ears, and oversized lower canines that sat atop their upper lips. As they got closer I saw distinct differences from my earlier assumptions. When my plate was placed before me I could see that it wasn¡¯t skin, but small scales. Bipedal reptilian humanoids? Lizard-orcs? I was instantly fascinated and wanted to know more. There was food to eat first and I was ravenous. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I had been unconscious, or what exactly happened, but I was sure I¡¯d figure all that out in time. For now, I felt safe overall and doubted they were fattening me like a pig before the slaughter. Nespolan and his people were shorter than me, not like dwarves or halflings, just shorter - still human. They probably weren¡¯t cannibals or anything like that. Not that size indicated cannibalism. I eyed the mess of food on my plate warily for only a moment, which smelled excellent, before digging in with gusto. Correction, refined gusto - I pointedly watched the others for etiquette cues. As we ate I learned the words for plate, their two-tined fork utensil, knife, and some other things. Even if they weren¡¯t all precise translations, plate or platter for example, it would be close enough while I learned. They were all happy to teach me new words too, like they were training a new pet. This was going to take time, there was no way around it. Nouns were going to be fairly easy, but learning everything it would take to be fluent and literate in their language would be the challenging part. Syntax, stress, intonation, prepositions, determiners, conjunctions, and all the rest of the fun stuff. That was the unfortunate downside to the reality of this journey I set myself on when I crossed through that portal. This wasn¡¯t a work of fiction, unfortunately. There was, quite possibly, no magical means for me to just snap my fingers to learn. It was going to take work. Months of studying and work. Most of the group three and four languages I had learned had taken me two to five months, depending on how many hours I spent each day, what the setting was, et cetera. Being fully immersed with no other options other than learning it was a boon in my opinion. Choosing not to learn their language was out of the question and there was no point in being upset about it. Whatever this world was, it was not a game. Chapter 2 After a hearty meal, Nespolan led me out of the dining hall with his entourage. Along the way they continued gifting me with new words as we made the indoor trek to our next destination, wherever that was. My inquiries or input wouldn¡¯t have mattered, and I wasn¡¯t going to protest. Their world was not exactly like the one I called home. Earlier I thought my fatigue was residual exhaustion from whatever happened. Now though, I could tell that something wasn¡¯t quite right. It was harder for me to breathe as we continued to walk, forcing me to take more breaks. The abundance of stairs were especially miserable. I felt heavier. Actually, come to think of it, everything felt heavier than it should have. Uncomfortable, but not unbearable. I would chalk this up to being another lucky upside I hadn¡¯t really considered. What if this side of the portal did not have breathable air? What if it had crushing gravity? Yup, calling this one a win so far. When the portal had appeared I didn¡¯t believe what I saw at first. I couldn¡¯t believe it. I had gotten home from work, showered, and was eating when I heard a humming sound. Loud droning, like a high voltage substation. I went to investigate and there it was - a damned portal. A tear in reality with a rippling, shimmering surface. If anything I had tried when attempting to ¡®test¡¯ the portal had worked, I would have had more information before taking the plunge. Camera on a string, camera on a drone, random objects tied to things - none of it came back through the portal. I went in blind, believing it to be a one-way trip. It was an opportunity I couldn¡¯t pass up, no matter the risks. Yet, here I am - alive and walking around a castle of some sort in a different world. Win! We left the castle, crossing a cobblestone courtyard with more than a dozen parked carriages. The stone building we were aiming toward, still within the castle grounds, was eight-ish stories tall and austere compared to the castle exterior behind us. More men and women in simple robes walked in and out of it almost constantly. They were likely clergy, making this some sort of temple. None of which were words worth learning yet because I could be way off base. The first floor was an open, cavernous room with large stairs at the far back side. Forty or so uniquely decorated alcoves were evenly spaced around the outer wall, each with a three meter statue carved or cast from an assortment of materials. If this was a place of worship, those would be idols to their many gods. Walking up the stairs I could see that the second floor was almost the same as the first with different alcoves and statues. The third floor was different from the other two. A long four meter wide hall spanned from the stairs all the way to the front of the building with doors leading to individual rooms. Guards standing outside a single door snapped to attention as we approached. Following Nespolan and the eldest robed guy, whose name I really needed to ask, we entered the room. Two of his personal guard followed us in while the rest of the entourage waited outside. The room looked much the same as I remembered from the short time I was conscious, sans portal and robed bodies. My bags and grimoire were on the floor. Char marks and soot covered my belongings, the hulking red minotaur corpse, and spread out in a blast pattern. Dried blood splattered the walls and pooled about the floor. Whatever happened, the minotaur¡¯s face was obliterated in an outward spray of gore that painted the walls and shrine at the far side of the room beyond it. It appeared as if a bomb had gone off inside the creature¡¯s mouth. My memory of those short seconds was foggy, but I recalled swinging the grimoire. Thinking about it more, I remembered an explosion. How the hell I survived ground zero of something that nuked half that thing¡¯s head, I still did not know. Rubbing the top of my bald head I had to wonder if they healed me somehow. I knelt down to my oversized book and picked it up. It felt different in my hands but had not been damaged in the slightest. The grimoire thrummed with energy. Though I had never held a charged capacitor, that¡¯s what came to mind. Powerful and dangerous. Wiping away the thin layer of soot and minotaur bits, most of the runes on the cover were gone. Runes that I had put there myself over my adult lifespan since it was left to me by my grandfather. Where those missing symbols were previously there was now no markings at all. The grimoire was more than just a large book, it held all we had come to learn of this lost language - if it was a language. The whole thing weighed more than twenty kilos normally. With the increased gravity it felt more twenty-five or thirty. Three leather buckles kept the book closed, matching the same leather strap on its spine that I often used to carry it. Running my fingers across other runes I could feel that many were no longer inert symbols. At least half of the remaining characters held some sort of energy that was waiting to be released. ¡°They do work!¡± The validation that comes in the instant of such an epiphany is something I would not be able to put into words. That singular defining moment in time being the culmination of decades of work, more than a century altogether including the efforts of my forebears. At least some of the characters actually do something. They¡¯re not just doodles or wild conspiracies of eccentric madmen, but are instead a representation of a long lost language or power. Like learning the tongues of this world, it would still take time to learn what we had right and what we had wrong. I knew that much inherently as I inspected the grimoire. This door was now open and, like the portal which brought me here, I would be walking through. Thinking about that portal gave me pause. It wasn¡¯t here anymore. Until now the consequences of that fact had not registered. I was most likely stuck here. So be it. My mind had been made up whether this would be a one-way trip or not. This is to be the next step in my life¡¯s work. Inspecting my bags next, they were unharmed as well. The same layer of soot from the explosion coated my hiking pack and duffel bag. No burn marks, melting, or damage. It could mean that the explosion had limited effects or that the runes on my bags protected them from harm too. Nespolan said something, breaking my reverie. He gestured with a nod that I should follow him back out of the room, presumably with my belongings. Picking it all up, I followed behind him. It took some serious effort as I hadn¡¯t exactly packed light. ¡°Tell me we¡¯re not hiking all the way back up there already,¡± I implored to precisely zero people present that could understand me. There were raised eyebrows, but that¡¯s it. I looked at the monstrous corpse behind me one more time before leaving the room. I had never killed anything before and did not feel remorseful about it now. Should I feel something? What if it was another of his guards? No, that couldn¡¯t be right. That creature was attacking them. With a sigh I followed the others up the stairs, laden with far too much gear. We reached the fourth floor, resembling the third. Fortunately, our destination was a door near the stairs. Another large room with a large table. It wasn¡¯t as large as the dining table, but probably weighed half a ton nonetheless. I would hate to be a laborer having to haul this heavy ass furniture around with all these damnable stairs. The elder robed man and Nespolan spoke for a moment, then the old guy looked at me and nodded me over. He pulled a pouch off his belt and placed it on the table, then made a show of emptying it. Finally, he nodded to my bags and then to the table. I pointed to myself, ¡°Sully.¡± Thinking for a moment he replied, ¡°Dostark,¡± with a smile. ¡°Alright Dostark, you want to see what¡¯s in my bags. I get it.¡± Setting the book down first, I got the bags onto the table with some grunting and effort. This was like going through airport security with a well packed set of luggage and being flagged for inspection. Like those horrible experiences, I was not looking forward to this tedious act. They could have easily killed me or gone through the bags themselves, so this felt like respect for my privacy while also trying to learn more about me. The group of onlookers watched in rapt fascination as I took one item after another out and placed them on the table. Clothes, rations, survival tools, and various sundries were all placed on the table. Dostark, Nespolan, or one of the others got closer to look at them when I had finished, never touching or reaching toward my personal effects. Another man in grey robes entered the room and placed the clothes I had been wearing on the table. My pants, shirt, and jacket were all fried - literally. Unlike my bags and grimoire, they had obviously not fared well from the encounter. The front of everything was mostly burned away and the sleeves of my jacket were gone, leaving me with a partially burned vest. My boots were mostly fine though, which felt like a bonus to be honest. How the hell was I still alive if that¡¯s what happened to my clothes? I had grouped the items so I could repack them again easier. Clothes together. Sleeping gear together. First aid supplies together. Electronics together. That was going to really blow their mind when I showed them the electronics¡­ later. Who knows if anything I had would somehow cause them to view me as an evil heretic. Definitely something for another day. A guard walked up to the table to inspect my gear. When he unsheathed his sword I was wary, but he was just using it to point to a section of stuff. His sword rested in front of one pile with a couple machetes, a hatchet, e-tool, and other survival tools. Out of everything present, he was pointing to what he recognized as weapons. Carefully unsheathing one of the machetes, I held the handle toward him. After placing his sword on the table, he took the tool in hand and inspected it more closely. He was definitely impressed with the keen edge of the blade. Handle first, he returned it to me. It went back in its sheath and onto the table. Guard guy said something to Nespolan and nodded toward that section of my gear. Nespolan thought about it for a moment and walked up with a sigh. I couldn¡¯t understand the words he said to me, but I know he was asking if they could take those items. All I could do was shrug and nod. If they were going to be hospitable and house me here for the moment, I couldn¡¯t argue this. Not that I could argue with them effectively about anything frankly. It was within their power to toss me into a jail cell. An oubliette would be worse. This was better, so far. Another guard came and picked up all the tools and said something to me with an approving nod, obviously placated. If we hadn¡¯t just eaten I would have offered a couple of them some of the power bars. It might be good to wait until I could explain what they were without pantomiming or eating one when I did not need it. I wasn¡¯t pushed to give up anything else, though there was some interest in the electronics, clothes, and other objects. It was all foreign to them of course, so their curiosity was piqued. Respect for boundaries won versus almost any inquisitiveness for now. The sole other exception was my grimoire. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Each of the robed dudes walked up and scrutinized the cover of the book. They spoke more with one another about that than anything. More for me to talk about once we could have such a conversation. It took some time, but I managed to cram everything but the camping tools back in the bags. Fortunately they didn¡¯t know what a gun was, so I kept that. ***** Greenskin servants were summoned and tasked with carrying everything for me, thankfully. The only thing I wouldn¡¯t let go of was my grimoire, which was enough of a burden all the same. Back to the castle and more stairs. Nespolan and the bulk of our entourage peeled off after only a couple floors and I was urged onward. Myself, the servants, Dostark, and some guards continued up the damned stairs. Reaching the floor where I woke up took half an hour or more of grueling work, for me anyway. The patience of these people was legendary. No one else appeared to be so hindered and no one complained or said anything when I had to pause. I felt weak and exhausted the entire trip. These people needed to learn what elevators were. What would happen if I invented elevators for them? ¡°Sooley kotaya,¡± Dostark said as he opened the door to the room. ¡°Sully,¡± I said as I pointed to myself, then pushed my hands down toward the floor, ¡°kotaya?¡± He smiled and nodded. So, this was probably my room for now then and the word for room was likely kotaya. Not like we could discuss the specifics of my living arrangements, but I had nowhere else to go at the moment. All my hot dates were effectively cleared from my calendar and replaced. The orcish servants placed everything gently at the foot of my bed and left without a word. I set the grimoire down on the desk, content that I was safe here. The guards took place outside my door and Dostark walked out, closing the door. I laid down on the edge of the gargantuan bed, passing out almost instantly. ***** The same girl that was first in my room woke me up as the sun was setting. She led me to the dining hall again. Dostark and some others were present, but Nespolan was notably absent. After dinner there was hot water in the tub and again, the same girl was present. At first I attempted to protest, but she insisted on bathing me. Oh well, could be worse. Back to my Alaskan Emperor bed, I slept. Why an Alaskan Emperor''s bed? Because California and kingdoms are smaller than Alaska and empires, that¡¯s why. I thought it was funny and there was no one to judge my stupid joke. Bright and early the next day I began unpacking and creating an inventory of all I had brought with me.
Inventory
  • Romano Family Grimoire
  • Containers: hiking pack with frame, large gym bag, eight dry boxes
  • Clothing: ten sets (warm & cold weather), twenty sets of undergarments and socks, two jackets, poncho, four pair of gloves, two pairs of boots, pair of sandals
  • Camping gear: compact tent, multi-layered sleeping bag, isolation mat, hygiene kit, two fire starter kits, box of waterproof matches, magnifying glass, two mirrors, nested cookware & utensil set, multi-tool, saw, roll of cord, roll of fishing line, fishing kit, binoculars, compass, two rolls of dry bags, three first aid kits (one-hundred piece, each), two quick dry towels
  • Food & Water: ten stripped down military rations, fifty assorted power bars, various jerkies and trail mixes, four canteens, two boxes of water purification tablets, water purifying bottle, two water collection kits
  • Electronics: 300 watt solar charger, 1000 watt portable power station (battery), emergency radio, laptop, tablet, cell phone, ten external SSD (20TB each; multiple full), three sports cameras, small posable tripods, mini-drone, micro projector, portable speaker, high powered flashlight, five camp lamps
  • Weapons: pistol (one hundred rounds, two magazines, and holster)
  • Miscellaneous: zip tie kit, three rolls of duct tape, writing gear (various pads & notebooks, pencils, pens, rubbing charcoal, etc), inscribing kit (for metal, stone, leather, & wood - inscribing, etching, & chiseling), two decks of cards
  • Confiscated: two machetes, hatchet, e-tool / ¡°survival shovel¡±, two large folding knives (15cm blade), two small folding knives (8cm blade)
¡°If only I had one of those bottomless bags we always had in our games,¡± I thought. With such a bag, and an inventory interface of some sort, all this would be much easier. Most of my gear was fairly lightweight by itself, but all of it together weighed a lot. If this happened when I was a kid I probably would have had a bag full of books instead of the electronics. As it was I only had the one physical book and terabytes worth of data. My phone was the only thing I kept out while the rest was ¡®hidden¡¯ at the bottom of a chest beneath warm-weather clothes. I took pictures of everything in the room and the view from the balcony before stashing it away as well. We settled into a routine over the following days. Dostark and a couple guards accompanied me everywhere I went, privy included. Big on respect for personal effects, not so much for personal space or privacy. Though I found I could eat whenever I wanted, the others typically only ate two full meals a day with a couple light snacks in between. Free to wander within the castle grounds, I was barred from entering the city beyond. It remained distant and unknown, only seen from my balcony. The adjacent room was also given to me and set up as a study. Whenever I wanted, Dostark would instruct me on speaking, reading, and writing their language. The region, country, kingdom, empire, or whatever was called Norvos and I was learning Norvosian. Going over maps I learned that Orya was the name of the city. After the first week I was even gifted clothes that fit my height. Wearing what I brought earned me looks of disgust and derision from some. A small degree of that remained no matter what I wore. I am a foreigner who is significantly taller than everyone else, received special treatment, and did not know their language, customs, or culture. I was working on the last part, assholes. Roman isn¡¯t learned in a day. At the beginning of the second week I had grown frustrated and gesticulated while speaking in Norvosian. Dorstark yelled at and rebuked me, then almost dragged me out to the balcony. He placed me about four meters away and thrust his palm out at me a couple times before mimicking my earlier motions. There was a message here I wasn¡¯t quite getting, which he surely read on my face. Dorstark turned toward the city made some motions with his hands, muttered some words, and thrust his palm outward. Fire exploded from his hand and shot into the air with a loud whoomph. The concussion hit my chest. Intense heat from the ten meter flame forced me to turn away and step back. ¡°Wha¡­ How? What?¡± I mumbled nonsensically, mouth agape in shock. My tutor turned toward me with a strange grin and made the same gestures he had before shooting fucking fire out of his hand. I dove to the ground and covered my head. The laugh that followed was full and jovial. Not a hint of malice from my mentor. I looked up and immediately understood. A light clicked on in my head. These people did not gesticulate because it was considered offensive. Not solely in the sense that it was obnoxious to point at someone. No, they took offense at being flagged with a weapon. Standing, I nodded at him and reverently bowed my head. That was something I had seen many times thus far of their mannerisms that should convey my apology and acceptance. Dorstark nodded in acknowledgement. Going to be more vigilant about not gesticulating in the future. Social faux pas aside, Dorstark just shot fire from his hands. Magic was real! Like a child pantomiming pulling a passing truck¡¯s horn, I signed with my palm out into the air away from the castle like a cartoon character and gestured with my head toward him. And, like an awesome passing trucker, he obliged my inner juvenile. Instead of a horn, I was rewarded for my immaturity with a full minute of my own, personal, fantastic pyrotechnic display. The portal from my world and minotaur ruining rune-splosion were amazing. I was still coming to terms with both of those being a facet of reality. This was an entirely different league. It is the difference between close-up card tricks and then watching someone make an elephant disappear on stage as a kid. Whole different ball game. I have always been rather eager to learn languages. It was something I excelled at from a young age and gravitated toward. My newfound desire to acquire magical powers redoubled my passion to become fluent in Norvosian. Without it there would be no chance of being able to sling spells. The following weeks were much the same. I wasn¡¯t rewarded with any more grand magic shows, but I was rapped on the knuckles with a stick from time to time for gesticulating. And smacked on the back of my head for botching a new piece of Norvosian. And forced to write the same thing enough to fill a blackboard. Dorstark guided my studies with the help of a dozen other robed dudes. As it turns out, the people in robes were almost all scholars, magi of some sort, or clergy. Collectively, these educated members of society were called the Resolute; which sounded far more impressive in Norvosian. Groups of them sworn to a noble were their ¡®argenti¡¯ or contracted out. The colors of their robes demonstrated some cultural significance. The boring greys and earth tones were all clergy, scholars wore an assortment of blues and greens, whereas the remaining vibrant rainbow of hues were all casters. Norvosian with Dorstark took up most of my time every day. Etiquette, culture, regional geography, and other subjects were sprinkled about the schedule. What free time I had left was consumed with studying and practicing with runes now that they actually worked. They should work anyway, but I still couldn¡¯t figure it out. The pace was brutal, but I was ambitious to absorb all they would teach. On more than one occasion I had the recurring thought, ¡°If only this was a game.¡± Gaining skills, tackling quests, piling up loot, and adventuring would all be excellent to help guide me and break up the monotony. Not complaining about the situation exactly, just daydreaming about all the books I have read and games I have played. The work was a grueling postdoctoral study of another world fully apart from our own. Enough things were comfortingly familiar that it was not an alien existence. Comparing it to my own history, the level of technology was roughly thirteenth or fourteenth century. Some facets were stunted; most notably being the medical field, supported heavily by apothecaries, alchemists, and magic. Other areas, like construction, were impressively ahead of what I expected. Though some of the flora and fauna were the same, plenty of surprises kept me on my toes. While standing on my balcony one day, I discovered the gulls flying above the city were lower on the food chain than a larger reptilian albatross-like species. They were more like flying dinosaurs with a four meter wingspan. Pterodactyls. They were damned dinosaurs in all but name. I am certain there will be information to research from them as well. The higher gravity had to make an impact on their flight, right? Learning these lands¡¯ birds, and bees, would happen over time. Every so often I would see Nespolan in the halls or we would share a meal, but never spoke. Dorstark conveyed to me that it was considered despicable to butcher the Norvosian language, especially among those with rank, title, or status. As it happens, Nespolan is the king''s sibling. Though the words and titles were different, they equated easily enough to a typical feudal hierarchy. I lucked out in that regard, having saved his life and all. Nespolan was not actually his first name either, it was Polan. Nes was a sort of family name, except they placed them before personal names and were never left unsaid for members of their nobility. Dorstark, a High Magister it turns out, would be Tark Dors by the naming conventions I was accustomed to. Weeks gave way to months as I finally gained more than a tenuous grasp on all I was learning. I was eventually able to hold a conversation with fairly infrequent hiccups despite not being wholly fluent. Specific words, especially of the more esoteric things, would come in time. Since the first day in this new world I started a journal and wrote in it every day, sometimes more than once. It felt important for me to document everything. This was how I discovered that there were eight days in a week and around thirty-five days a month here. Dorstark went over the four hundred and thirty-three day calendar with me after I asked. One of the more disturbing revelations was that the partial covering of the balcony and bars spaced two meters apart were not just some design choice, but protected us from the ¡®tayayash.¡¯ That was what the giant flying lizards were called in Norvosian. I grew accustomed to the air and gravity in time. The stairs were surely to blame. I ate more than everyone else here as well by about half again as much. A combination of contributing factors forced me to chow down more regularly than the locals, namely my larger size and putting on additional muscle from my self proclaimed title as Stair Master. ¡°Soon you will be ready to speak with Nespolan,¡± Dorstark announced at the end of an entire day filled with a battery of tests by the collected wise dudes and mentors. They didn¡¯t call themselves the ¡°wise dudes,¡± and I did not do so aloud for fear of being thwacked. I also hadn¡¯t figured out the Norvosian word for ¡®dudes¡¯. Chapter 3 A particularly fascinating biographical and fantastical tale of Nespolan¡¯s great, great, great-grandmother filled many of my nights recently. It was that story which I was lost in when my door swung open. I jumped at the abrupt noise interrupting my quiet adventure through the pages. I was nearing the end of that book when the man himself walked into my room, unannounced and uninvited. He looked different out of the ornate armor I always saw him in. Smaller somehow. More like a common nobleman, but no less imposing. His face and demeanor were those of a man hardened in battle, with a stout muscular build to confirm such experience. ¡°Sully,¡± Nespolan said with a stoic expression, ¡°I am told you can speak now.¡± ¡°Well, I could always speak,¡± I thought. ¡°Yes, High Commander Nespolan.¡± ¡°Nespolan will suffice outside formal settings, please.¡± He reached out to me and we clasped wrists, ¡°You are as a sibling to me.¡± He released his grip and sat in a plush chair across from the couch I had been laying on, nodding for me to sit as well. I was at a loss for words from the abrupt entrance and his unexpected statement. ¡°Now, I must learn who it is that saved my life and I am now indebted to.¡± His entire demeanor changed and he relaxed, ¡°Please, tell me of yourself.¡± Dorstark and I had spoken about who I was numerous times. I would answer any questions he asked honestly because I saw no point in hiding the truth. They saw me enter their world through a portal and, with a single strike, slayed that great beast. ¡°What would you like to know?¡± ¡°You may tell me of whatever you choose and I will listen.¡± There was no telling what Dorstark had told him, but I felt it prudent to speak as if he had told Nespolan nothing. Though my mentors had all been interested in the grimoire, none pried and I never offered up more than vague information. They hadn''t asked much about my world, which often struck me as odd. ¡°Alright,¡± I cleared my throat and sat, ¡°my name is Sully Indigo Romano and I am from another world.¡± ¡°That¡­ was stupid and obvious.¡± Despite having thought through what I¡¯d say when Nespolan and I finally spoke, I was at a loss in the moment. ¡°Before coming here, I was a scholar and explorer of sorts. Ever inquisitive and desiring to learn. When a portal opened I knew I had to see what was on the other side.¡± I talked at greater length about myself than I ever had with Dorstark. I spoke about my many studies and travels. Broad accounts of the mundane minutiae from my time as a museum curator, a retail book chain clerk, and a small eccentric book store clerk. I spoke of my family and the great quest of my father¡¯s father, and his father before him. Finally, I spoke of my friends, my home, and my life¡¯s calling. That last topic was the lengthiest. Not once did Nespolan interrupt. He sat and listened with a contented smile throughout hours of me talking. With a sigh, I finished my not-so-epic tale. ¡°That is me and my life, in a nutshell.¡± It felt remarkable finally getting it all out in a single sitting. Until now I hadn¡¯t realized how tense I was about speaking with Nespolan. If he were displeased he could order my execution or some such. ¡°In a nutshell?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ ah, right. It is a saying in my culture. Meaning in short, in brief, or in as few words possible.¡± ¡°That does not sound at all accurate my friend,¡± he said with a guffaw. ¡°I understand, however.¡± ¡°Right. I was being... facetious.¡± I winced, having said ¡®facetious¡¯ in my native tongue. ¡°Ugh, I mean, flippant?¡± There wasn¡¯t a word that I knew of that meant the same thing as facetious. And the word used for ¡®flippant¡¯ was a derogatory I picked up to describe someone that is hesitant to the point of starving to death or dying on a battlefield of indecision. ¡°Hmmm. I mean to say that it was a jest.¡± Nespolan leaned forward and shook his head. ¡°Calm yourself Sully. There is no need to become flustered when speaking with me.¡± The genuine mirth on his face reached his eyes, comforting me significantly. ¡°Another topic then for now. I still need to decide what boon shall be granted to you for saving my life and those of my argenti.¡± I was told weeks ago that only Nespolan and two of the others had survived. They saw it as both divine intervention and my actions which saved those three from being mortally wounded. Beyond that, each of my mentors had only ever replied that it was for their liege to speak of in greater detail. ¡°Sluznay!¡± Nespolan bellowed. The word translated roughly to servant, but was used only for the ¡®non-civilized¡¯. Within seconds four of the green scaled servants entered the room carrying three chests. Two of them carried the smallest and most impressive looking chest, which they placed on the floor. The remaining two were set on the table between us. ¡°These are gifts to show my appreciation for your patience in learning to speak our language and remaining here with us,¡± he said in a proud manner before gesturing for me to open them. ¡°And for waiting while I decide on a suitable boon.¡± The simple wooden chest closest to me was about a half meter on each side and reddish in color. Opening the box revealed a pile of dark fur partially obscuring layers of deep crimson leather. I stood to extract the contents, pulling out a heavy yet supple leather cloak with a fur collar. The trim was lavishly embroidered with silver threaded designs. A chain clasped to each side of the collar by a stylized bull¡¯s head with eyes of inset red gems. To say I was stunned would have done this piece of wearable artwork a disservice. This cloak wasn¡¯t the most glamorous or gilded article of clothing I have ever seen, but it was expertly crafted. Knowing that it was mine added to the overall sense of awe. Vanity bias. ¡°This is remarkable Nespolan, thank you!¡± I said, flourishing it over my shoulders, thankful I didn¡¯t bugger the maneuver. It hugged my thin form like a glove and was unnaturally warm. ¡°I am glad that it pleases you my friend. But, you still have the other items to open,¡± he said with a smile and gesturing toward the long, flat box. The feeling of receiving gifts as an adult, right now, is somehow better than childhood elation from the same. Whether it is the dulling from time on memories or nostalgia, I couldn¡¯t care less in this moment. Unlike the first, this was a plain wooden box with a lid that lifted off to reveal a sword, scabbard, and belt. If my new epic cloak is the work of some master, this legendary sword is the product of a grandmaster. Silver scrollwork ornamented the dark metal scabbard, attached to an almost black leather baldric stamped to match. Drawing the sword revealed a pristine, unadorned blade about a hundred centimeters long with a broad fuller. A golf ball sized blood red gem set in the pommel was unlike any stone I had ever seen before. An impossibly red pearlescent sphere with dark blues, violets, and blacks swirling across its body and a bright yellow tiger¡¯s eye core. The grip matched the cloak¡¯s red leather and the belt¡¯s dusky leather in checkered pattern. What everyone will notice first, and I would always deign describe last, is the ornate crossguard. A large bull¡¯s head sat at the center of the five centimeter thick quillon block, rubies inset for eyes to match the clasps on my cloak. The pair of horns stretching from the bull head were oversized for the centerpiece embellishment only because they were real fucking horns. They were the obvious reason for the thickness of the crossguard¡¯s oversized design. Remarkably, it was lighter than I had expected, even for my otherwise weak ass in this higher gravity. That isn¡¯t to say it was actually light, at what felt like a solid five-ish kilos. Just lighter than it looked. The balance felt perfectly natural. Stepping away from Nespolan I amateurly swung it through the air.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Absently I asked, ¡°Are these horns from the creature?¡± ¡°Not the full length that was on that monster, but indeed they are. The cloak is made from the beast¡¯s skin as well.¡± ¡°This is all amazing Nespolan,¡± I turned to look at him and bowed, ¡°Thank you.¡± The minotaur had cloven feet and the head of a bull, but was a humanoid all the same. I¡¯m not sure how I felt about wearing tanned leather from such a being, but I was not one to balk at the gifts. ¡°Looks like we need to train you in swordsmanship too so you do not kill yourself with it.¡± Returning it to the scabbard I chuckled with him, ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± ¡°Do skane rut about in the spring?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, actually,¡± I thought. Skane were their scaly servants and it sounded a lot like ¡®do pigs fuck in the mud¡¯, so the answer was likely a rhetorical yes. I just snorted harder at his retort and shrugged. Sitting after our laughter died, I couldn¡¯t help but be grateful for everything. ¡°I appreciate all you have done for me Nespolan. Providing the rooms, mentors, and these gifts.¡± He nodded an acceptance of my gratitude as I continued, ¡°But I am compelled to ask if I may impose upon your generosity further.¡± He looked thoughtful for a moment. ¡°I can not say yes without hearing what you would ask of me first. Though you may always speak freely with me and ask what you will.¡± ¡°Answers.¡± I paused, thinking about proper phrasing. ¡°My mentors would not tell me about what was happening before I arrived and what followed. They said it was for you to tell, or not.¡± ¡°Ahhh that,¡± he said, rubbing his chin. ¡°I will tell you what I can, for now anyway.¡± The sigh he let out gave me the impression that it was a subject that weighed a great deal on him, ¡°My brother, King Neskorin, ordered me to the far reaches of our recently expanded kingdom to deal with an incursion into our lands. After those battles we travelled back here to Orya. Waiting to ensure there were no additional threats on our newest borders. Only a few days after arriving here a message from the capital came, delivering word that my brother is unwell.¡± Nespolan ordered servants to bring refreshments and waited until they arrived before continuing. He had listened to my life¡¯s story for hours and I was content to sit in silence as long as he wished. ¡°The message was absent specifics regarding his condition. However, he commanded me to return before winter as originally planned. We were to abandon any ventures afield that would delay our return. I wanted to return sooner but could not, and would not, move against orders.¡± ¡°My own argenti guiding the rituals, I prayed to every one of our gods at each of their shrines. I sought aid for my brother, protection for our kingdom, and personal guidance. It was Kuriy, god of travel and pathfinders, that opened the portal. Outside legend I had never heard of such a thing.¡± He paused to eat and drink between statements, painfully reminiscing as if refreshing those wounds. ¡°The beast stepped out and set upon us. I have fought men and monsters¡­ but never one such as that. I was certain the gods had spurned me and wished death upon us all.¡± ¡°You arrived the instant after I had fallen. I met your eyes as I was certain my last breaths were being drawn. I saw you, in that frozen point of my memory, as our true harbinger of doom. Then you stood and felled the creature in a single stroke. Sully, you shifted from a dark omen to our savior right then. After that you were healed.¡± I knew he wasn¡¯t done speaking. The internal strife warring on his face told me as much. ¡°For our people I remained cautious, and still do to some degree, though I am hopeful. You have shown that you have no immediately harmful intentions, but I must protect our people. My argenti have given me what counsel they can. None are certain of Kuriy¡¯s intentions from that day.¡± Nespolan had been watching me while he spoke, gauging my expressions just as I was watching his. Capricious gods, if deities do exist, was something new to me. Portals, monsters, and magic exist here. Why not gods? I know my cynicism is due in part to old-world beliefs and cynicism, but I have also seen proof of those other things with my own eyes. For me the portal wasn¡¯t enough to prove the existence of higher powers. ¡°I am not sure what I can do to assuage your hesitance. Know that I will do what I can to aid you in that endeavor and assure you that I would never intentionally cause you harm.¡± He nodded in understanding, ¡°Time and companionship may well alleviate it. Which brings me to the last thing I needed to discuss with you. We will be leaving for Videm within a few days.¡± I knew little of the capital city, aside from stories of how impressive it was and that it was to the southeast of Orya. I had no gauge of distance or travel speed here, but most books described it as a well travelled route. Those same books varied in the duration of journeys, between twenty-five and forty days, depending on a myriad of conditions. We would be embarking on the longest primitive road trip I¡¯ve ever been on soon. A few days was the most I had spent travelling on foot previously when heading to a remote location. It should be interesting and hopefully not entirely dreadful. ¡°You still have one remaining gift to open.¡± I slipped off the couch and hovered over the smallest and most opulent of the chests. The box had silver, gold, and gemstone decorations with the likeness of a bear in the center. Thirty centimeters at each side and about half that in height to the lid. Slowly, reverently, I opened it. There was no preparing me for the swell of emotions I felt when I laid eyes on the contents. My heart fluttered upon seeing my first horde of gold coins. Despite the relatively small size, there had to be a veritable fortune inside the chest. I picked up a handful and listened to the rain of pleasant sounds. Up until this point I never understood true greed or dragons, but now I do. Without knowing how much was here, I felt the need for more. Nespolan chuckled again, ¡°With that you can do as you please and go where you wish.¡± I looked up at him, searching his eyes for meaning. Was he trying to get rid of me? Could I really just hop on a ship and venture off to explore this world? ¡°I can leave?¡± ¡°You are no prisoner of mine Sully. I apologize for having to keep you here this long, but you now know most of my reasoning.¡± ¡°What if I chose to travel with you to the capital?¡± ¡°Then I would welcome your company and we would travel together, learning more of one another my friend. Though I would not be a person of honor if you were forced to remain with us. As of now, you may also leave the castle grounds with your typical accompaniment until you leave the city.¡± He stood and began walking toward the door, ¡°It is your choice to make Sully.¡± With those parting words Nespolan left me to my thoughts. And my gold. Quest loot, really. ***** Thirteen thousand, five hundred, and seventy nine gold coins. I counted them. Twice. I spent most of the day counting and pondering life, this world, and everything. What was it exactly that I wanted to do? Easy answer there, ¡°I have no clue,¡± I thought. Which was not helpful. I knew little of Norvos, less of the surrounding regions, and nothing beyond that thus far. Ever so briefly I wondered if they had intentionally left that out of my classes. The thought was cast aside as quickly as it arrived. When Nespolan mentioned the capital city my first thoughts were of its libraries. Dorstark had told me about them and the Resolute Colleges. Together they represented much of the accumulated mundane, magical, and ministerial knowledge of Norvos. It wasn¡¯t much of a choice, not really. If I was finishing a tutorial I couldn¡¯t justify venturing into lands unknown, again. The chances of happening upon generous hosts such as these would be remarkably slim. Caution dictated I had to assume that anyway. As much as I enjoyed learning languages, I didn¡¯t want to immediately start down that path so soon if I didn¡¯t have to. ¡°I am going to Videm.¡± With that decision out of the way, I wanted to explore Oyra before departing. Before that, dinner here at the castle. And picking my mentor¡¯s brain - a phrase he hated. In Norvosian it translated accurately enough in my opinion, ¡®picking at the contents of your head¡¯. He informed me that it was a revolting concept which some creatures actually did here for sustenance. Something out there quite literally ate brains. All the more reason not to venture forth into the wilds without first gathering a party. Dorstark was already seated in the dining hall when I arrived. Thinking back on it, this was the first full day to myself since beginning my studies with them. There had not been any weekends observed or days off. That realization told me he knew Nespolan and I had spoken already. ¡°Pleasant evening Dorstark.¡± ¡°And a pleasant evening to you, Sir Sully.¡± ¡°Sir Sully?¡± ¡°You are neither a lord nor a member of the Resolute, but you now have status which dictates a modicum of honorific.¡± Interesting. I shrugged, ¡°I had not thought of that.¡± ¡°Which is why I am telling you, of course. What sort of mentor would I be if I did not? What sort of student would you be if you knew everything already?¡± He had me there I guess. ¡°So, you know then?¡± ¡°I know a great many things. Do I know what, exactly?¡± ¡°Nespolan spoke with me, presented gifts, and said he is leaving for the capital. He gave me the choice to travel with him or do as I please, starting today.¡± Dorstark nodded thoughtfully, ¡°Yes, I knew all of these things. What I do not yet know is what you have decided.¡± ¡°How do you know I have already decided?¡± ¡°It is one of those things that I do know and choose not to share with my pupil,¡± he said with a wry smile. ¡°Well, you are right. I will be going to the capital.¡± ¡°Excellent choice.¡± ¡°Thanks. I think it is the right move. Would you mind helping me prepare? Starting with a trip into the city tomorrow.¡± ¡°I would be happy to. It will be a superb opportunity to see the practical application of what you have learned thus far.¡± Chapter 4 Fun fact about Norvosian numbers and math - it is absolutely miserable. By my standards at least. Why is it important? Shopping and accounting, according to Dorstark. Their system uses a series of pips, polygons, adding, and multiplying. Basically. For all my simple questions and shortcomings, I knew I had the entire world here beat in the math category if this was their pinnacle. Suck on that, nerds! One through ten was easy enough. The first five are a series of empty pips and the second five began filling in the pips. Twenty would be five filled in pips with a circle around it; five times two. Thirty would be five full pips and a triangle around it; five times three. On and on the multipliers went up to a decagon with ten sides. Then it all goes awry. To represent twenty one you could use four empty pips and a square around it with a single empty pip close to its side, or you could use five full pips with a circle around it and an empty one by its side. Similarly, forty two could be either representation of twenty one with a circle around it, or you could use a square around five filled pips and two empty pips beside it. That was all good and well until you tried writing out thirteen thousand, five hundred, and seventy nine. Once you got into three or four digit numbers, they could be expressed in as many ways as you could add or multiply those combinations and all were acceptable. Writing out the number of coins that I had, using Norvosian numbers, ended with me writing each individual number in its ten pip orientation. That works and is an acceptable method. Dorstark seemed fine with the whole system. In their favor, the educated members of their society would have a solid foundation in the basics of math. Without a major overhaul to the entire structure of their system however, they will be stuck without higher maths. This problem went on my mental ¡®to-do¡¯ list. Norvosian numbers and math occupied the first few hours of my morning before I was ¡®allowed¡¯ to hit the town. He had a point that I might need to understand it if I intended to explore the market, which we were going to do. Armed with that redundant knowledge, we left the castle grounds for the first time. Most of the time I wore comfy slippers around the castle. Wearing a pair of my old boots with my robes felt odd at first, but more comfortable than the boots they gave me. Everything fit, but the difference in quality was apparent. It is common for nobility to wear a sword out and about, so that came with me. As did my awesome cloak. Rounding out my walkabout ensemble was the pistol and holster on my hip, opposite the sword. It was incredibly innocuous despite being my best weapon should I need it. The chest full of coins was too heavy for me to lift by myself, not that I would have wanted to bring it all. Each coin had to weigh around fifteen grams. I brought a thousand gold split between a small pouch I placed on my belt and a much smaller chest carried by one the skane. No clue what I would spend it on, but I didn¡¯t want to hike uphill back to the castle just for more coin on my first excursion. Two more guards than normal accompanied Dorstark and I, making seven in the group including the skane. I shrugged and put one foot in front of the other with an immense sense of giddiness - not at all like a mysterious princess getting out of a castle after being locked away for her whole life to walk among the common folk. Nope. Nothing like it all. Our group walked downhill along the large central avenue that snaked its way from the castle to the harbor. Sometimes I watched people going about their business from my balcony, wondering what each of them were doing. I ¡®people watched¡¯ and made up stories for them in the short times of respite between lessons. People walked, rode horses, pulled carts along, and moved aside for the periodic nobles being carried or shuttled about. I was given the option of taking a carriage or calling for one of the other modes of ¡®noble transport¡¯. Walking was fine. I was no longer as easily winded and wanted to actually experience the town of Orya. ¡°We have briefly gone over the values of currency, but will you help keep me from being taken advantage of in these shops Dorstark?¡± Iron bits were the lowest currency, only used by commoners. Five to a copper coin. The primary exchange rates were fifty copper to a silver, forty silver to a gold, and thirty gold to a platinum. There were also other denominations aside coins -bands, weights, various bars, and such- but they all shared the same transaction ratio. That meant, in coin value so far, I had just over four-hundred and fifty platinum coins or more than twenty-seven million copper. I have no concept of value here, but I was rich. I felt rich anyway. ¡°Of course Sir Sully. It would be best for you to attempt to haggle on your own, but I will endeavor to assist you to avoid being skinned.¡± ¡°Skinned?¡± I thought. Oh, he means being fleeced or something similar. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Where to first?¡± ¡°How about a magic store? Know any good ones?¡± ¡°Magic store?¡± ¡°Somewhere I can purchase some spell books or extra ordinary items?¡± ¡°Why would you want additional ordinary things, specifically?¡± I had to think for a moment. Ah, right¡­ Wrong words for what I meant, ¡°Amazing, not extra ordinary.¡± ¡°Well, there are no stores that sell books to teach magic. All of those are in the Resolute libraries or those of various noble families, including the royal library.¡± That was unfortunate. ¡°How do normal people learn magic then?¡± Surprisingly it was one topic we didn¡¯t talk about much. He never answered me when asked about his own capabilities either. ¡°They attend one of the colleges. Some in the world have innate abilities which are like spells, but that would not help you. With minor studying in most of the prominent noble families a person may become proficient with simple magics and cantrips, but few would provide the requisite body of knowledge to truly excel in our arts.¡± He thought for a moment, ¡°There are also apprenticeship opportunities under a magister or minister outside the capital.¡± ¡°None of that works for me right now.¡± I could not see myself enrolling in one of these organizations to learn magic. ¡°I could certainly attempt to instruct you on some of the basics while we are en route to Videm. If you are interested of course.¡± That was something, even if it wouldn¡¯t be opening a spellbook and just knowing how to sling magic missiles. ¡°You are making the trip too?¡± ¡°Yes. I am sworn to Nespolan and will go where he commands me to.¡± ¡°I would be a fool to turn down the opportunity to continue learning from you Dorstark.¡± ¡°Wise observation,¡± the High Magister tittered. ¡°Amazing items?¡± ¡°I fear I still do not understand your meaning.¡± ¡°Rings with special, spell-like effects. Amulets that make a person resistant to damage or allow them to fly. Anything like that.¡± ¡°Such items do exist, though they are not exactly common. Few magisters study those aspects of the arts and fewer craftsmen ever obtain the knowledge to fashion such artifacts. I have heard that the process to create such things is laborious and sometimes quite dangerous.¡± ¡°So no shops that sell ¡®spiffy¡¯ magic gear then?¡± ¡°Not here in Orya. There are only a couple in Videm, though most such goods are beyond expensive.¡± In spite of all his vast knowledge perhaps Dorstark had no idea that I was a very wealthy man now. ¡°Fine,¡± I pouted. ¡°What will I need for our trip then?¡± ¡°What will you need, sir?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Is this a damned echo chamber?¡± I thought for a moment, wondering if I was wording things properly and doubting myself for a second. No, those words are fine. He¡¯s just screwing with me. I think. ¡°Do I need to buy draft animals, a carriage, food, guards, spare parts like axles and wheels? What if we have to ford a river with a wagon?¡± He shook his head as I listed each item or category, ¡°No, you will need none of that. Everything will be provided as a guest of His Mightiness, Nespolan.¡± I stifled a laugh at the honorific. That¡¯s how I translated the word and it would never get old. ¡°What could I buy in the market then?¡± ¡°Whatever you would like. You do not need any of those things, though you are not prohibited from purchasing whatever you wish.¡± This was not at all how I planned on spending my day, or money. ¡°Well, is there anywhere you want to go or anything you need to buy?¡± ¡°No particular destination comes to mind. Also, I cannot purchase anything for myself and have no need to besides.¡± ¡°What do you mean, you do not need to and are not able to buy stuff?¡± ¡°Those of us who are members of the Resolute forswear all personal wealth and possessions. Such things that we need, along with a few desires, are fulfilled by our benefactor or liege lord if they so choose. Basic necessities are required, but little else is guaranteed.¡± I dwelt on that for a bit while walking the larger streets aimlessly. Even with guards the smaller streets and alleyways seemed like an unnecessary risk. Education was essentially free with personal freedom being the sole cost of admission. The price for knowledge seemed rather steep here if that was the case. ¡°Does it bother you? Giving up your life just to learn.¡± As soon as I asked, I knew it was wrong of me. This was their society and culture. Who am I to judge their ways. Long minutes passed before he responded, ¡°No. If given the choice between the way things are or the life I could have had, I would choose the life I lead presently. I am free of worrying about having to feed, clothe, or shelter myself. Not all are as fortunate with their masters, however my blessings are many and my hardships are few.¡± ¡°My apologies for presuming otherwise High Magister.¡± He shook his head, ¡°If you do not ask that which is scratching at your thoughts, you would not gain answers, knowledge, and wisdom.¡± During our studies he repeated those three facets of learning. ¡°Answers are the heralds of knowledge, and wisdom is that same knowledge with an aged patina,¡± he had said multiple times. I thought about his situation and outlook, seeing the appeal through his perspective. How many college kids, or people in general, would have taken such an opportunity if it had been offered. Resolute members were allowed to pursue their own fields of study and answered only to the crown, colleges, and whomever they individually swore to serve - in that order. Could I live such a life? Is that how I would see my story unfold? Would I be pleased at the end of such a tale? Do I want to have my own adventures or solely be relegated to academics with a side role? That is the real question then, isn''t it? Do I see myself as the protagonist of my own story or a supporting role of another¡¯s? So many questions ran through my mind. How would my life look if I travelled that path, tied to the greatness of Nespolan and the colleges? The salt air grew stronger as we took a meandering path northward. Amidst my errant thoughts we wandered into a large open square fairly close to the edge of the town on the ocean side. Looking around I realized we had crossed back to the main thoroughfare of Orya. In the center of the open space stood a five meter statue, which I approached out of curiosity. The sculpture gazed northward toward the ocean with a sense of longing on his weathered face. The plaque on it read, ¡°Morskov, Conqueror of Storms and Founder of Orya.¡± ¡°Mors is the family which still leads this city, right?¡± We had shared a couple meals with members of their family in the castle. But, I had never been afforded the opportunity of speaking with them. Dorstark nodded, ¡°Correct. The Mors lineage has led the city longer than the Nes family has held a crown. Their loyalty to one another also long preceded the Nes reign.¡± Its garb looked well worn and otherwise not noteworthy, except in its appearance to pointedly not be noble attire. This had been a hard working man in his day. Contrasting with the bronze of the statue, Morskov¡¯s likeness had three items that gleamed as silver or steel. A telescope in its right hand, a navigation device of some sort in its left, and a dangerous looking sword that resembled a falchion hanging from his hip. ¡°What happened to Morskov after he founded this city?¡± ¡°He spent his remaining days building Orya and expanding his trading empire. Though the latter dwindled over the last few generations, the city stands ever stronger with each passing year.¡± ¡°Has Orya ever been taken?¡± ¡°Few have tried and none have come close to succeeding .¡± Orya had but two entrances - one on the seaward side and the other via tunnel through the rock at its southern side. With the size of the harbor and number of ships present, a ship born invasion seemed unlikely and a southern invasion through the tunnel was likewise improbable. ¡°So, Orya stole him from the seas?¡± Dorstark smiled fondly, ¡°That is part of the tales the family tells actually. Morskov loved his wife, his family, and his city - but never as much as his true passion of sailing. They say he spoke each year of launching an expedition the following season only to cancel it for another year.¡± ¡°I believe I understand. If he set off on his ship he would never return, but he refused to abandon his responsibilities or his dreams.¡± I sighed, feeling a closeness to this long dead explorer. ¡°Do you think he made the right choice?¡± ¡°I believe that he made the best choice he could, given the circumstances. His family, Orya, and the stories he left behind are more of a legacy than most can ever dream of.¡± A bare stone building stood on the western side of the square, standing out in how precisely modest it was in design compared to the others nearby. Inextricably, I felt drawn to investigate. ¡°Is this another temple?¡± I asked, almost rhetorically, while walking toward it. ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Why have two here, with this one being so much smaller?¡± ¡°This is the public temple. Smaller as there are fewer figures the lowborn within Orya choose to seek patronage, favor, and blessings of.¡± I walked into the temple, escort in tow. The height of the room was slightly less than that of the much larger temple. ¡°How many idols stand within these walls?¡± ¡°Less than twenty I believe, though I must admit ignorance on the exact count.¡± Walking toward the first statue I nodded with his words.¡°HA! Found something you don¡¯t know,¡± I thought. What I said however was, ¡°I understand.¡± That was it. All I would say. Hopefully it would drive him up a wall. If it did, he gave no sign. The first statue in an alcove to the left of the entrance was carved of a porous azure stone. Standing atop coral, sea life swam about the feet and legs of this god. A harpoon resting in one hand, the other pointed across the room toward another alcove. ¡°Selev, god of open waters,¡± Dorstark informed. He followed my gaze across to the room to where he was pointing, ¡°That is Navi, goddess of storms. Both life and destruction are often attested to her.¡± Navi¡¯s statue was surrounded by smaller female forms, some with water-like features and others with decidedly plant-like. ¡°It is said that the two were lovers who spawned many young. One day she grew tired of Selev¡¯s ferocity and indifference. She fled the ocean inland, rebuffing his affections. Then she found Regu, god of the wilds.¡± He pointed with his chin toward the statue, ¡°They produced many children as well before she returned to the waiting arms of Selev. She remains forever torn between both worlds, never truly deciding to settle with one or the other. Their brood of nymphs grows among the forests and seas of the world.¡± I looked at the statues and their decorated alcoves, marvelling at the details. Despite my time walking around the noble¡¯s temple, I had never received instruction or was allowed to ask questions of the clergy. ¡°How many gods are there?¡± ¡°How many reasons are there for living? How many causes of strife? How many confounding mysteries?¡± Dorstark looked about the room, ¡°Likely many times more than all of those things combined.¡± ¡°That sounds like a long winded way of saying you do not know.¡± ¡°Frankly, I doubt anyone does. The faiths are amalgamous and amorphous. Gods rise and fall in favor at the whims of the people, or the ministers.¡± ¡°You sound like you don¡¯t believe in¡­¡± He cut me off with a sharp stare, ¡°A topic for another time.¡± I took the rebuke in stride. He seemed willing to discuss it later at least. ¡°What other gods are represented here then?¡± He nodded at the statue closest to Navi and worked his way around the room, ¡°Navi and Regu I spoke of. Next to him, on the opposite side of Navi, is his wife - the goddess of woodland creatures and the hunt. Gods and goddesses of the mountains, rivers, skies, sun, moon, fertility, commerce, trade, justice, shipwrights, sailors, travel, and then of course Selev.¡± ¡°The god of travel, is that Kuriy?¡± I asked, approaching the figure. ¡°Yes, it is the same that supposedly brought you here.¡± Supposedly¡­ He doesn¡¯t believe my presence is divine intervention then. ¡°How are they worshipped?¡± ¡°People come and pay respects. Some ask for blessings or forgiveness for some transgression.¡± ¡°Nespolan mentioned rituals. Do people leave gifts or make sacrifices to their gods?¡± ¡°He was referring to more than asking for a simple favor of the gods, he sought direct guidance and assistance. And yes, many pay tribute as well.¡± I thought about it for a moment and pulled a few coins from my pouch and went to place them on the statue. Dorstark watched me for a moment before grabbing my shoulder, ¡°What is it you think you are doing?¡± ¡°Leaving a gift for Kuriy.¡± ¡°Gold? Without cause or reason?¡± He asked with a humorous scoff. That was a great question, to be fair. I had no idea. ¡°Back home people gave offerings in the form of currency.¡± ¡°What need would such a being have of coin? Were the clergy pilfering gifts for themselves.¡± I burst out in laughter. ¡°Probably.¡± Shaking my head I returned the coins to my pouch and walked out. I would find something to leave at the god¡¯s statue before we left, mentally adding it to my to-do list. I wasn¡¯t sure whether or not I believed in them, but I didn¡¯t see the harm in hedging my bets when deities were potentially real. Chapter 5 The shopping trip hadn¡¯t been a total bust. I picked up a bunch of non-magical books, a few blank books, maps, and trinkets. There were random bits of leather and metal that I purchased to practice runecrafting on, but those were the cheapest of my purchases. In total I spent less than a hundred gold. As it turns out, books are not cheap. We had stopped by a tame tavern with lackluster food. Eating at the castle this whole time spoiled me. Up-close people watching was the highlight of that stop. Out of everything I gained on my little trip outside the walls, the best were the plethora of choice words and phrases. Dorstark was none too pleased having to explain their nuances, but that was just a bonus. It was this experience however that led me to the discovery of a universal truth. In the same way that one plus one will always be two, anywhere, ¡®curse like a sailor¡¯ is also an infallibility. Who knew? I updated my inventory sheet first thing when I got back, including my formerly confiscated weapons that were sitting on the table when we returned. My next task was to finally write down my ¡®to-do¡¯ list¡­ in the form of a quest log, of course.
Open Quests
  • Norvosian Knowledge: Learn more about the history, geography, and culture of Norvos
  • World Knowledge: Learn more about the history, geography, and culture of this world
  • Investigate Arrival II: Learn more about why the portal opened
  • What are the Skane: Surely there is something to be learned about this species
  • Flying Dinosaurs: Learn more about the ¡®pterodactyls¡¯
  • Invent the Elevator: Anyone with an abundance of stairs will rejoice at having an elevator
  • Create a Bag of Holding: You have too much stuff and need a better way to carry it
  • Write a Math Book: Norvos would benefit from a kick in the math pants
  • Travel to Videm: Travel the Oryan Trail from the coast to the capital
  • Morskov¡¯s Fables: Learn more about Morskov, his family, and Orya
  • Learn Magic: Throw a fireball or something
  • Gift for a God: Present a gift at the shrine of Kuriy
Completed Quests
  • Save Nespolan: Completed (hidden quest)
    • Bonus Objective (Save Argenti): Completed, partial success
    • Rewards: Badass cloak & sword, chest of gold
  • Learn Norvosian: Completed
    • Bonus Objective (Learn foul language): Completed
    • Rewards: Novosian fluency
Some part of me recognizes the absurdity of attempting to ¡®gamify¡¯ this entirely real world and my involvement in it. That part is repeatedly beaten with a sock full of gold coins by the rest of my wholly stable psyche on a fairly regular basis. Knowing that I would be leaving Orya in only a few days bumped up the priority of a few quests on the list. Speaking with the Mors would have to happen soon, in addition to the books on Orya and Morskov I purchased to help me along there. The flying dinos may only exist here, so that received a star next to it. Kuriy¡¯s gift should be simple. Elevators would almost certainly fall to the wayside like so many side-quests did though, which couldn¡¯t be helped. I set up a couple cameras with grippy tripods on the balcony railing to take a picture out over the city every thirty seconds hoping to get some good shots of the not-pterodactyls. At worst I would have an awesome sunset timelapse and would keep up the project for the remaining time here. That finished, I set off to find Nespolan. After a bit of wandering around and asking people who only wanted to scurry away from me, I was pointed toward his rooms. I knocked and entered when he bellowed for me to enter. He sat behind a large desk with maps and papers strewn about in front of him. ¡°Sully,¡± he said while standing. ¡°My apologies for my discourteous response. I am trying to finalize preparations for our journey and have yet to have an hour without interruptions.¡± ¡°My apologies Nespolan. I can return at another time or we can speak during our evening meal if you would prefer.¡± ¡°No, that will not be necessary.¡± ¡°Is there anything I can do to be of assistance?¡± It wasn¡¯t the reason I was here, but it never hurt to ask. Well, unless he piled a bunch of fetch quests on my shoulders. That could suck. Although I suppose travelling to Videm was just a long escort quest of sorts. ¡°Not at all. I am likely fretting over nothing.¡± ¡°I wanted to ask you a few things if you would not mind,¡± I said. He gestured for me to continue. ¡°Three things. The first I wanted to ask about was Kuriy. Before we leave I would like to present an offering.¡± Nespolan seemed taken aback by that. ¡°I see. You would like suggestions then?¡± ¡°Yes. I have only the most vague beginnings of an understanding of your gods. I am also curious what happens to the offerings.¡± ¡°It depends on what it is and why it was given. Some items are burned and others are taken by the ministers to re-gift to someone in need of it at a later time. Animal sacrifices, rare as they are now, would be slaughtered then removed to be skinned and eaten.¡± ¡°Nothing is taken and kept then.¡± He poured a wine-like drink into two goblets, handing me one. ¡°Correct. As far as what to offer, I would propose finding something personal to you that also falls within that god¡¯s domains.¡± That made sense, of course. Gold might work best for one of the gods of commerce or trade, but less so for Kuriy. ¡°What were you offering the gods the day I arrived?¡± ¡°That I will not say. Kuriy brought you to me in exchange for my¡­ contributions.¡± ¡°I will come up with something fitting. Thank you for the advice. Next, I was wondering if we could share a meal with the Mors. It may help for you to be present for the sake of introductions.¡± ¡°You are quite full of surprises. May I inquire as to the reason you would ask this of me?¡± ¡°It seems prudent to thank them for their hospitality,¡± I said before taking a drink. I am no wino or townie, but this stuff is scrumptious. And, fortunately, it was too watered down to be dangerous. ¡°I would also like to ask them about Morskov and their family history as part of my endeavor to better understand this world.¡± ¡°They are certainly an interesting family with a long, storied past. I can do this for you without issue. Your candor and tact are welcome changes to most who dance around a topic for far too long,¡± he shared before draining his cup and pouring another. ¡°The first two were easy enough, but I sense you saved the toughest for last.¡± I swallowed at his insightful observation. Letting out a long sigh, I figured it was better to just get on with it. Especially after being praised for being forthright. It was my turn to empty my cup of not-strong-enough booze. ¡°When we spoke I told you more about myself than I have anyone else here thus far. Not that I have spoken to many people. I have just been unsure about¡­¡± ¡°Wait,¡± he interjected. Nespolan stood and refilled my cup before sitting again. ¡°Whatever it is you have to say, know that it will have no bearing on how I see you,¡± he explained before a pause, ¡°unless it is something terrible which you have done since you arrived here.¡± That statement did almost nothing to alleviate my trepidation. Before me sat an extremely powerful and likely pious man. A man who led armies against enemies of their kingdom and may see what I¡¯m about to tell him as a threat toward their country, or worse, a transgression against their gods. The parts of me wanting to drop the topic altogether were gaining support in my internal struggle. If we were going to be travelling together, they would need to know sooner than later. And, of course, I hoped it would be best coming from me directly in a setting such as this. Without hesitating further, I pulled out my phone and set it in the middle of his desk. ¡°It is a tool. Science and technology, not magic, from my world,¡± I blurted. The words for science and technology more accurately translated to research and advancement, but close enough for government work. Leaning forward, he hovered over the otherworldly curio. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It is called a ¡®phone¡¯ and has far fewer uses than it did there,¡± I said, having to use the word for it from my native language. ¡°It was used to communicate across any distance, perform math, create illustrations, and many other wonderful things.¡± ¡°Not a weapon then?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Show me.¡± I pulled up a picture I had taken from the balcony and set the phone back down. ¡°Remarkable!¡± His face was so close to the screen that I wondered why he wouldn¡¯t just pick it up. With that thought, I handed it to him. With little hesitation he took the device, flipped and rotated it, then settled back on the screen. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Actually, I should be close enough to my room to¡­¡± I thought before cautiously reaching for the phone. ¡°Let me show you this.¡± He relented and let it go. Yup, still in range of the cameras on the balcony. Pulling up the controls for one of them I switched to a livestream without recording anything, then set it back down in front of him. Nespolan watched the screen for a bit before realizing it was not a still image. ¡°It moves,¡± he gasped, never pulling his eyes from the screen. Minutes passed as he watched before he abruptly bellowed, ¡°Guard!¡± ¡°Oh, shit¡­¡± Two of his elite guards and two guards that always followed me around burst into the room with their weapons readied. ¡°Oh, fuck¡­ oh, fuck¡­ oh, fuck.¡± Heart slamming in my chest, my hand lowered the pistol at my hip. I fruitlessly wished against all hopes that I wouldn¡¯t have to do something drastic I could never take back. A dozen scenarios played out in my head in this far-too-slow second, feeling like a speedster as the calamity of an explosion crawled through the air. Who to shoot first? How would I escape the castle and city? What about all my stuff? ¡°Fetch Dorstark,¡± he ordered. No one moved for a beat, until he looked up. ¡°Well, what are you waiting for? You three back to your post. Sten, you will get him.¡± To their credit they didn¡¯t dither further. ¡°With haste,¡± he called out after them. My mind stuttered along trying to make sense of it. After coming to terms with the lack of my impending doom, I finished my drink. Then poured another. Then flopped into the chair to sip it. Nope, that one vanished rapidly too. Another then. Dorstark rushed into the room right around the time I realized that I was out of drink in both my container and the decanter. No reasonable amount of this stuff would get me inebriated. The cathartic act of ¡®drinking booze¡¯ helped nonetheless, I think. Not at all like a grief stricken princess guzzling ¡®adult beverages¡¯ with little to no alcohol content and ugly crying at a ball to avoid the forlorn misery of being ditched by her suitor for a lady in another castle. ¡°Your Mightiness,¡± he addressed Nespolan with a bow then turned to me in my wholly disheveled mental state, ¡°Sully? Is everything alright?¡± Not even the ridiculous honorific snapped me out of it. Weakly, I looked at him. Being the sole person not blissfully unaware of how close I had just felt to my own demise, it didn¡¯t seem like either of them would relate with my current predicament. ¡°Yes,¡± was all I mustered. ¡°Dorstark, come look at this wondrous trinket of Sully¡¯s.¡± Gathering up his robes, he leaned over the desk to look at the phone. Realizing it is a moving image faster than Nespolan, his eyes went wide. I was still uneasy for a time, unsure of what they were going to do. Finally settling down I spoke up, ¡°It is the view from my balcony, right now.¡± They both started and looked up at the same time. ¡°Truly?¡± Nespolan inquired. Nodding, I picked up the phone and cut off the stream so I could swap to a regular video recording. With the front facing camera, I began recording myself turning to include the others with the phone raised and facing down to capture their shorter stature in frame. ¡°This is us, right now.¡± ¡°I have read of mystical viewing portals before, though the faithful among the Resolute are more familiar with such methods of divination,¡± Dorstark whispered. ¡°This is marvelous.¡± Nespolan¡¯s face was peering just over my mentor¡¯s shoulder, though he said nothing. I stopped the video, took a picture which included both their faces in awe, and lowered the phone to show the replay. Again they watched enthralled fascination. ¡°That is... me,¡± Nespolan stuttered. ¡°Yes, and those are my words,¡± the wizened tutor said, still in a whisper. He looked me in the eyes, ¡°This is not magic. I sense nothing special from this novelty.¡± ¡°My world has no magic, so nothing I brought with me should resonate or give off that special tingle.¡± Honestly, I have no idea what it was he sensed or felt. I just imagined it as a tingle. ¡°I would appreciate it if you would show us more of the wonders from your home later,¡± Nespolan invited. His face became stern before speaking again, ¡°Though I must ask what that is first.¡± He nodded toward me. No, he was looking directly at the right side of my waist - at my gun. My heart beat faster, again, as I thought, ¡°Fuck¡­¡± ¡°You were reaching for it when I ordered the guards to send for High Magister Dorstark.¡± Of course he would always have his head on a swivel. The man was a hardened and veteran warrior in a world where, I presume, such people did not often live long lives. He shook his head, ¡°I believe it to be a weapon of some strange variety I am unfamiliar with.¡± ¡°Son of a¡­¡± Damn, he¡¯s good. ¡°As I stated previously Sully, this will have no bearing on my perspective of you. The sword and your other weapons were returned to you as I have no intention to force you to remain unarmed.¡± Despite the steely expression, I could read genuine concern and a hint of curiosity. ¡°In time I hope we are able to trust one another more.¡± ¡°It is a ¡®gun¡¯,¡± I replied while slowly drawing it out of the holster, finger off the trigger. I removed the magazine and cleared the chamber before placing it on his desk. ¡°A type of projectile weapon.¡± They both hung over the gun without touching it, inspecting it without being sure what the function of its components were. ¡°Thank you,¡± with a minor bow of his head he began, ¡°You may re-sheath and keep your weapon. Perhaps you could demonstrate how it works for us in the future.¡± From all that he had said so far, his statement about trust hit me the hardest. He was right of course and I should afford them the same trust they extended to me. ¡°My apologies for not trusting you more. I should reciprocate your generosity and your confidence,¡± I admitted. ¡°Both of you have shown me many great kindnesses. If you would like, I would be willing to show you everything else I have - at your convenience.¡± ¡°Though I appreciate your apology,¡± he explained, ¡°it is unnecessary, sibling. You are in a strange land and are still growing accustomed to everything. Trust will come in time.¡± Nespolan sat back down and frowned when a scant few drops dribbled from the empty pitcher into his cup. ¡°While I am interested in seeing some of your other oddities, I must get back to this,¡± he ended with a gesture at everything strewn about his desk. Dorstark quickly chimed in, ¡°I would relish the opportunity.¡± ¡°I will send word when a meal or meeting is scheduled with the head of the Mors as well.¡± ¡°Best of luck with all that,¡± I offered before leaving. ¡°Dorstark, I could blow your mind before or after dinner. Your call.¡± He scoffed, ¡°Blow my mind, sir?¡± Nespolan raised his eyebrows but said nothing as we left the room. The exact phrase I used was one I learned from a conversation between a sailor and a working girl. Probably shouldn¡¯t have said that in this context. Oh well, the looks on their faces was worth it. We reached my rooms with little in the way of conversation because I continually thwarted his attempts to pry information out of me. It was my intention to fully capitalize on this unique, once-in-a-lifetime chance for me to overwhelmingly impress my mentor with technology beyond his comprehension. Knowing that some part of his anxiety may have also been trepidation from my earlier comment was an added benefit. The first things I presented to him were some of the camping gear and miscellaneous items from my inventory of stuff. Few of these really blew his gray hair back in any meaningful way, but that was mostly by design. Admittedly his nonchalance at the miracle of duct tape was frustrating. Still, I wanted to build up to the really good stuff rather than just dropping the big surprises out the gate. The multi-tool and e-tool finally caught his interest during the more mundane phase of show and tell. Compared to what was available here the craftsmanship and small details of most things were orders of magnitude greater. Perhaps on par with a grandmaster artisan¡¯s fine works. None of what I had brought with me were cheap quality products back home either. Nope, it was all ¡®professional¡¯ survival stuff that cost me a bunch of money over a long period of time - which I definitely have no regrets about now. It had better all be solid gear anyway. Not that I could write a complaint about it. I briefly wondered how inspecting magic items worked and if there were hawkers of bunk enchanted goods that granted impossible-to-prove benefits until the unwitting patron would be entirely too dead to complain about the scam. A worry for another day. Those two items kept him occupied for a good ten minutes or so. Unfolding, inspecting, and re-folding them down to their most compact sizes. It was glorious watching him be amazed at something I found rather ordinary. I took more pleasure in this than I should have. Maybe. It also served as a reminder not to take most of it for granted. Though he wasn¡¯t overly interested in them, he did comment on the utility and usefulness of the tent, dry boxes, fire starters, and others. Next up were the flashlights and lamps. ¡°That is alarmingly bright,¡± was really all he said about those. Magic lamps and lights, along with illumination spells, existed apparently. Fine, time to break out the big ticket items. He knew about the cameras, but I showed him those in person now. The tablet and laptop were the reality bending and ground shattering ones though. I connected all the devices, thankful again that I was still able to. Downloading the pictures from one of the cameras I threw together a short time lapse of the sunset and screen shared it to the tablet in his hands. All of these together elicited an abundance of excited muttering, finally. While he watched that loop more than a dozen times, I set up the projector on the wall behind him. Definitely not the ideal surface, but it would work just to show it off. ¡°Look behind you.¡± Dorstark turned and looked at the same video, now playing on the wall. Confused, he looked between the tablet and projection a couple times, ¡°What... How?¡± I nodded to the projector. ¡°Another device. This one is called a ¡®projector¡¯,¡± I bragged. ¡°It can display these images at a distance onto other surfaces.¡± We went over a bunch of content after that. Pictures of my house, friends, and other things. I explained that within one of the external storage devices I had many billions of words worth of information, articles, and books - not that he could read any of it. The downloaded copy of a community built online repository of knowledge took up more than half of a single drive. That was more data than the much smaller ¡®official¡¯ encyclopedia that I also had. It would take time, and probably some help, but I wanted to make a digital copy of all the books here that I could as well. Damnit, I forgot to put that on the quest list. To round out the presentation I explained that the drone was a flying camera. I hadn¡¯t launched it yet because I was afraid the gravity and lack of gps would hinder its ability to fly. Most of all though, I was genuinely scared of the ¡®tayayash.¡¯ I found out they were closer to a pteranodon than a pterodactyl with their seven plus meter wingspan after I looked it up to show Dorstark right then and there. I used this opportunity to also get some info about them from him. What do they eat? Birds, fish, and small mammals - including children or pets. How big do they get? Much larger than the ones seen around Orya. ¡°How rare are they outside Orya?¡± I asked, growing more concerned with the fact that these giant winged predators exist here. ¡°Fairly uncommon away from coastal areas,¡± he informed me. ¡°Except for the next couple months as they migrate to warmer climes and again when they migrate back north.¡± There was a little more question and answer time about them before moving on. And with that behind me, I played an old game¡¯s victory theme snippet on my phone and would call the Flying Dinosaur quest done. The last thing I explained was the portable battery and solar charger. Though it isn¡¯t my area of expertise, I tried explaining electricity. This also required me to look it up a bit to thoroughly baffle him. The concept of this power source did that on its own, but the more I spoke about it the more confused he was. So, bonus. This had all been necessary and helpful, but we definitely missed the typical time for dinner. ¡°That wraps up the tour, unless you have any other questions.¡± Hopefully he didn¡¯t, because I needed to eat. ¡°Actually Sully, I do have one last question. Would you mind showing me that large book of yours?¡± Chapter 6 Ugh¡­ I wasn¡¯t really prepared to talk about it and still had uncovered precious little functional information thus far. Like my general knowledge of wilderness survival, everything I knew about the contents of the grimoire is academic and theoretical, not practical. ¡°Can we eat first?¡± I pleaded. Dorstark walked to the door. ¡°We can send for food if you would prefer.¡± ¡°I suppose that works.¡± He gave a short order to a guard outside before closing the door again and approaching the desk where the book conspicuously sat most of the time. ¡°You have never brought up the topic and I had not wanted to pry into your affairs. Now that you are opening up more however, I believe it is time for us to discuss it.¡± I always knew it was something we were going to talk about. My apprehension about discussing it was even greater than showing them everything else though, for entirely different reasons. The greatest of which is the fact that I don¡¯t actually know what I didn¡¯t know. The grimoire was written more like a journal coupled with an anthropology and linguistics log, organized chronologically. Page after page covered the discovery of more runes, where they were found, and all the information around them. There were no definitive statements or declarations - only an abundance of hypotheses. This had always frustrated me. Even back home it was a sensitive topic. Partly because it was an obsession of mine and also because it could have all been gibberish. I was convinced it wasn¡¯t, which now proved to be at least partially true. ¡°Here it is.¡± My fingers ran across the blank areas on its cover. I had already recreated everything written on its surface in my journal having used pictures in my phone as a reference. Tonight I planned to transfer that to the first page of a blank book I purchased to begin figuring out what might have had some effect that first day. The last two months I had spent most of the time trying to pour through the grimoire¡¯s pages to jot down notes about every character that vanished. As a project it would be a giant cryptologic puzzle without a cipher. That meant trial and error - lots of it. It occurred to me then that I had not included this in my quest log as well, despite it being an obvious and large part of my main story, not just some random side quest. I didn¡¯t put down ¡®breathing¡¯ and ¡®eating¡¯ either¡­ given how integral those are to who I am. Oh well, I made a mental note to add it later. ¡°It first belonged to my great-grandfather and then my grandfather. Then it was passed on to me.¡± That was the common line I used to explain its origins, which is essentially what they told me as well. The only reason I ever had to doubt it was the first handful of pages being written in a very different hand than those of my great-grandpa¡¯s. One of many mysteries I never solved and eventually just wrote off. ¡°If I may be so blunt, what is it exactly?¡± I raised an eyebrow at him, wondering if he was playing dumb. He wasn¡¯t, and the question had an honest tone. ¡°A book. I have always called it the ¡®Romano Family Grimoire¡¯, I answered. ¡°Romano is my family name, like Nes or Dors. We place them at the end of our whole names.¡± ¡°Strange, but we have discussed as much during our classes.¡± ¡°¡®Family¡¯ means family and a ¡®grimoire¡¯ is a tome of sorts. That word always resonated more with me.¡± ¡°Family or ¡®grimoire¡¯?¡± That question stung unexpectedly, ¡°¡®Grimoire¡¯.¡± ¡°What then does it mean to you?¡± A heavy sigh I hadn¡¯t intended to let out escaped. ¡°A connection to my family¡¯s history. A sense of wonder and adventure I dreamt of as a child. A purpose,¡± I revealed while slowly, reverently, unbuckling its straps. Flipping through random pages I pointed out various symbols, briefly spoke about how they were found, and what we suspected they did. Of the thousands of them in the grimoire, they didn¡¯t appear to all be from the same language or origin. Some were simple lines and swirls like letters. Others were more detailed and complex. While others still were unknown pictographs ranging from Kanji-like to mysterious hieroglyphs. Various professors and linguistic experts I had spoken to over the years almost unanimously attempted to dissuade me from pursuing this line of study. They all, to a person, also stated that the differences in the symbols should show that I was looking at multiple characters sets with wholly disparate origins. That never quite jived with me though. I could feel that they all fit together somehow, or most of them did anyway. If only I could figure it out. While reminiscing on that particular topic, Dorstark asked, ¡°Are they from multiple cultures?¡± I grunted, ¡°Really? ¡®Et tu Brute?¡¯¡± His head tilted in a very confused manner, not unlike a dog. ¡°I do not understand that phrase.¡± ¡°I know. It means, and you ¡®Brutus¡¯. From an old ¡®play¡¯... err¡­ an old theater.¡± I wasn¡¯t actually sure what they called plays or, oh... ¡°An old performance. One character questions the betrayal of another who was particularly close with him.¡± ¡°And I have betrayed you somehow?¡± Dorstark quavered. ¡°No, you have not.¡± I flipped to the page where I actually wrote about this very aspect of my earliest ¡®research¡¯. ¡°It is something I have been asked, or told, many times.¡± ¡°So you believe they are all from a single source?¡± ¡°I do,¡± I shrugged, ¡°And I don¡¯t know why I do. I could be delusional here, but it feels right.¡± I turned the pages aimlessly. Dorstark placed his finger on a page, ¡°This looks like something I have seen before.¡± ¡°Truly?¡± I squeaked excitedly, ¡°From where?¡± He nodded, ¡°I believe it has something to do with fire, combustion, or heat.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± His grin filled with mischief, ¡°It is my area of expertise in a way. Though I cannot recall where I have seen the likes of it, there is a certain familiarity. From one of the many texts I have read over the course of my life perhaps.¡± I flipped my notebook open to the page with the recreated cover and pulled up a picture on my phone to confirm. I pointed out multiple similar runes that were now missing. ¡°Look at these, they all are similar to that one. This one,¡± I pointed out, ¡°is the same exact character.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± he mumbled, squinting his eyes and getting a closer look. He rubbed his chin in a ubiquitous gesture illustrating he was thinking on it all. ¡°We may be able to enlist the help of some in the colleges to help decipher this ¡®grimoire¡¯,¡± he said with a significant trill in the first ¡®r¡¯ sound. While that sounds promising, I wasn¡¯t sure how I felt about bringing that many people into my confidence. ¡°I shall think about it.¡± There would be plenty of time to mull it over while riding in a wagon or sitting around camp on the way. Servants arrived with food, thankfully interrupting that topic. We ate while discussing the grimoire and its contents, then talked for hours more. His fresh perspective and experience with magic did give me some excellent new angles to look at certain aspects from. Most of it led nowhere for the moment. I kept notes the whole time which I would refer back to later. Dorstark excused himself far later than I had ever seen him head off to bed. After he left, I kept working on it in the lamp light, incessantly reading and writing. Rays of sunlight crept up to the desk, declaring the dawn of a new day. I sat back and flipped through the first pages of this newest book. It began with an illustration of the grimoire¡¯s face before arriving in this world, then examined each of the missing symbols. Too many of those missing included some type of fire rune in their phrases for it to be a coincidence. Accompanying them were likely triggers or activators of some sort. Perhaps some were ways to alter a statement of them, like archaic adjectives or adverbs which could directly affect reality. As the evening wore on I looked at the only other items which had inscriptions and had shown any effects, my the two bags I brought with me. Neither of them had been damaged, though none of those symbols were missing. Between the book¡¯s cover and the bags I found some shared between them. Of these, there were two that stood out as being the most prevalent. So, the next section focused on these. Perhaps there was some key to warding, protections, and permanence. I was so close to figuring something out. I could feel it itching at the back of my mind. Then, my stomach grumbled, reminding me that I hadn¡¯t eaten in too long. Forcing myself to stare at the pages for more hours would do no good without sustenance. With that thought I closed the pages, washed up, changed, and headed to the dining hall. Dorstark sat at the table already eating. ¡°Have you not slept, sir?¡± ¡°I stayed up working,¡± I verified, somewhat abashedly. ¡°Some answers are close, I know it.¡± ¡°You will solve these puzzles, I am certain of it.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile at his suredness, ¡°Your support means a great deal, Dorstark. As do your insights. Without them I may not have made such progress last night¡­ if I did actually get closer to answers anyway.¡± We discussed it a bit more as we ate. Everyone else had left while I was on my second plate. I was waiting for it to clear out before broaching another topic with him. ¡°Since we are being rather candid now, is this a good time to discuss the topic of religion?¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Dorstark sat up straighter and looked around, confirming that we were alone. ¡°As good a time as any.¡± ¡°You do not seem to like the faiths much.¡± ¡°An accurate assessment, sir. Though I would be remiss if I did not caution you from mentioning such things to others,¡± he whispered. ¡°I respect your privacy and trust in me Dorstark. Would it be too forward of me to press you further?¡± ¡°You would like to know why,¡± he sighed. ¡°My reasons are not complicated or convoluted. I simply do not believe the gods exist. Nor do I trust the men and women of the ministries.¡± That sounded like a tale as old as time itself for all cultures. Educated individuals often found themselves at odds with religions and their members. This sounded deeper somehow. ¡°Where do they get their powers from, if not the gods?¡± ¡°The same place we magi gain ours - study. Bending nature to our wills. Few among their ranks ever devote their lives so fully to learning to wield their magic, but it is my belief that magic does not come from the gods.¡± ¡°Yet they profess them to be divine powers. I understand your reservations in that regard, but why distrust the individual ministers?¡± ¡°They plot and they scheme. Some allow themselves to be manipulated by nobles who would use them as tools to control their people.¡± Again, this all sounded pretty standard for religions so far as I was concerned. ¡°And you would lead me to believe the magisters are free of uncouth machinations?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± He frowned, ¡°Our orders are also plagued with the ambitious or foolhardy, but few are ever used to exploit the masses. At worst, in my experience, some are used to grow a noble¡¯s power or profits. We also do not conspire against our fellows of learning.¡± ¡°Ahhh, there¡¯s the rub,¡± I thought. ¡°That difference is the root of your disdain?¡± He nodded, but said nothing. Infighting among the groups then. Of course he viewed his side as being just or without wrongdoing. I had absolutely no clue whether he could be right or not. Nor could I weigh in on the matter from a position of ignorance. What I knew about this world was a drop in the ocean compared to what I did not know. ¡°Would you be comfortable accompanying me to the temple again regardless?¡± Dorstark straightened his robes and hair as if to make himself more presentable. ¡°Of course, sir. I have been ordered to accompany you wherever it is you would like to go within Orya.¡± ¡°That is not what I asked,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I want to know if you would be comfortable with it.¡± ¡°I have no issue being in their presence or that of their idols Sully.¡± That was probably as good a response as I was going to get. ¡°Let us go then. I want to visit the market first though.¡± We made our way out of the castle grounds with four guards after fetching a couple hundred gold, a few other items I tossed into a satchel, and gearing up as I had the day prior. With only two days remaining in Orya I still did not want to forgo the opportunity to walk the streets, taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells. They were mostly pleasant anyway. An hour of meandering through the bustling streets, and popping into random shops, I found a jeweler that looked promising. There were numerous interesting items within that looked awesome, but I didn¡¯t need to buy pretty baubles right now. Right? No, what I needed was a compass - which is what I left with. I could have purchased a more simple version, but ended up buying two of the finer pieces. I tried not to judge myself too harshly. Only one of them was for me¡­ I am weak when confronted with shiny objects. A few more stops later and I had a few maps, telescopes, and sextants - purchasing duplicates of each. In total I spent more than a hundred and fifty gold, which I felt good about considering the haul of items. With my shopping done, we headed to the noble¡¯s temple. ¡°I do not actually know how much a single gold coin is worth Dorstark.¡± ¡°We went over this before, sir. The exchange rate for coins is¡­¡± I interrupted, ¡°I know the value between coins, but I do not know how much any of them are really worth. How much does a person earn for various labors.¡± ¡°Oh, well, that is a bit more nuanced. Here in Orya the average town watchman makes three to four silver a month.¡± ¡°You mean, I just spent,¡± I paused to do the math, ¡°around a hundred and forty years worth of watchmen salary?¡± I was floored. He thought for a moment, ¡°Yes, that is about right.¡± I stopped in the middle of the street thinking about the numbers more. That was about a gold per year of wages, which meant¡­ ¡°Nespolan gave me more than thirteen thousand years worth of wages?¡± ¡°For town watch wages, yes, roughly. Dock workers earn less and skilled individuals typically earn more. Those who work for themselves, owning their own shops especially, earn the most of laborers.¡± My family had been fortunate back home, so we never had want of anything. Family vacations abroad multiple times a year were normal growing up. My own wealth though was always quite limited and I rarely dipped into my trust. Just going off the equivalent amount of years and average income, the gold I had would be equivalent to hundreds of millions in my world. I started walking again, thinking more about the gifts I just purchased. ¡°Dorstark, I never asked what the value of a normal offering was to the gods.¡± ¡°That is highly subjective. Though if you intend to offer everything you bought today as tribute, it would be considered generous, even among most nobles.¡± My instincts told me to stay the course and give half of it as planned; previously deciding to keep half the items purchased as mementos. The compases were both intricately decorated with images of a water goddess and Morskov, which I thought was awesome. ¡°What would their value mean for whomever received them from the ministers later?¡± I wondered as we entered the outer gates to the grounds. The building had been mostly empty of patrons during my first visit months ago. ¡°Actually, that was my second time in the building,¡± I mused. Shortly after all of that though things returned to a more normal amount of traffic. Every day some of Orya¡¯s elite would venture into this temple for one reason or another. The public place of worship had more visitors, with a smaller building, and was typically more cramped. That had no bearing on my decision to do this here though. One of the ministers approached shortly after we entered the building. She appeared to be of middling age with deep smile lines and a bald head, like mine had been months ago. I was momentarily jealous of her eyebrows, though mine were now about half grown. ¡°How may we aid you this day my child,¡± she inquired with a bow. ¡°I am not certain of how this works, actually.¡± There was no frustration on her face or negativity in her demeanor. Her eyes grew wide with realization, ¡°You are him, are you not? He who was delivered by Kuriy?¡± Still, she remained effusive. ¡°That I am. You may call me Sully.¡± ¡°Is there some guidance you seek Sully? Something that ails you perhaps?¡± ¡°Nothing like that. I would like to visit Kuriy¡¯s shrine and pay my respects¡­ or something,¡± I faltered. ¡°Of course,¡± she approved. ¡°Please, follow me.¡± She led us upstairs to the room where I had first entered this world. For whatever reason I avoided going beyond the second floor here when I had come to look around previously. It could have been that I had not been allowed to speak with the ministers until recently. The private room with Kuriy¡¯s shrine was immaculate, leaving no sign of the deaths, burning, or the minotaur. Last time I was here I hadn¡¯t paid attention to god¡¯s representation. There was so much going on that first day. No one said anything for a while as I examined the statue, carvings, and imagery around the alcove. It seemed odd that it would be limited to the recessed space even in a separate room. I reached out to the statute but stopped abruptly, remembering their ways. ¡°You may touch him Sully.¡± ¡°I thought¡­¡± ¡°We respect personal belongings Sir Sully. The gods belong to everyone,¡± Dorstark informed me with a subtle hint of exasperation. The idol wore a traveler¡¯s cloak, a wide brimmed hat, an overly large pack, and held a walking stick. Imagery around the alcove showed winding roads, beasts of burden, long caravans, wagon trains, and ships at sea. Compared to the statue of Selev, and others, Kuriy¡¯s seemed somehow less imposing or extravagant. There was a sense of humility to the design. At its feet I placed the compass, telescope, sextant, a couple power bars, and the maps. ¡°Is there anything I should say?¡± For good measure I placed a few gold coins next to each item as well, for travelers. ¡°Is there something you would like to say?¡± She asked in response, which helped me none at all. ¡°Not really,¡± I mumbled. Then I mulled over it for a moment before turning to her, ¡°It is my intent that these are gifts to Kuriy, of course.¡± She nodded and I continued, ¡°I have been told that they will be given to those who may benefit from them.¡± ¡°That is the truth of it.¡± ¡°Then I would like to dictate whom they would go to, if I may.¡± There was pause as she thought about it before replying. ¡°It is not typical, but there is nothing stopping you from doing so.¡± ¡°Each item shall be paired with some of the gold I am presenting to Kuriy, to aid each of these travelers. None are to be offered to nobility, anyone of means, or any resident of Orya.¡± That seemed like a princely prize for a commoner now that I had a perspective of their value, but all of these things did. My words flowed with confidence, ¡°The compass and maps must be given to a lost stranger who arrives on foot. A foreigner seeking a new home shall be granted the telescope. This sextant will aid an ambitious sailor beginning his journey across the waves to become a captain. Each ration bar will provide sustenance to members of a caravan.¡± I may have leaned on some of my experience as a game master, flying by the seat of my pants, while rattling off the instructions. ¡°Any coin left should be given to newcomers seeking to make Orya their home.¡± Looking at each of the items, I was pleased with my instructions thus far, but had one thing to add, ¡°Lastly, whomever is gifted the items must be told not to sell them. They can pass them on to anyone, but they can not profit from the exchange, with exception given to the coins of course.¡± That seemed fair to me anyway. ¡°It shall all be as you will it, Sully. Is there anything else?¡± I sat on the floor, emptied my satchel, and picked up the compass first. ¡°This will take some time for me to finish, so you are both free to leave if you would prefer,¡± I said to her and Dorstark. Neither moved, so I picked up the first of the hand engraving tools and got to work. This idea occurred to me just before we left, but it felt like the best way to make these items personal. I wanted to carve my initials, SIR, into each of them at least. It took time to work them into the design of the compass without hurting the aesthetic, but it wasn¡¯t that bad. The other two items were done significantly faster by comparison. Together they had taken less than half an hour, so I picked up the first gold coin and set about defacing some currency. At one point Dorstark asked why I was doing this and I shrugged, not sure really. It didn¡¯t feel like I was being guided by some divine mandate, I just wanted to do it - so I did. Finally the last coin was set in a pile with the rest, which took more than an hour altogether. I wanted to engrave more, but didn¡¯t want to put up more coins. This endeavor was expensive enough already. I looked over the compass again, finding a small area that appeared big enough for a few tiny characters if I used a jeweler''s loupe. Despite being smaller, these took just as long as my initials on the compass. I didn¡¯t have anything in mind when I started, but quickly set about carving the symbols that I suspected were responsible for protecting my bags and grimoire. After that, I did the same to the other items - not including the coins. These runes were much larger and deeper, making them rather conspicuous. There was still more space on the telescope and sextant, so I kept at it. Again, I didn¡¯t really have a plan or any idea what the hell I was doing. I got lost in the work and then it was done. Not like I was in a trance or anything, just unfocused from the rest of the world and doing something I loved to do. Only after I finished did it occur to me that I could have possibly blown myself up, I think. With my back to the others still, I pulled out my phone and took pictures of everything so I could write about it later. My body popped and I groaned as I stood up. ¡°Done,¡± I announced¡­ to an empty room. Looking at the gifts one last time I had to smile. Hopefully they did something awesome or at least looked cool while helping their future owners. Either way, I was proud. The four guards dutifully stood outside the room waiting for me. One of them informed me that Dorstark had returned to the castle only recently and sent another to fetch the minister, as she had requested of them. ¡°Is there a femanine form of minister?¡± I pondered She returned minutes later. ¡°You are finished then?¡± ¡°I am, and hope that Kuriy approves.¡± A genuine smile lit her face, ¡°Though I cannot speak directly for the gods, I assure you that yours is a fine offering indeed.¡± ¡°Should I write down the instructions?¡± I asked, not realizing at first how condescending it sounded. ¡°I left shortly after you began your work to do just that, as well as informing our High Minister.¡± ¡°I had not realized either of you left until I finished actually.¡± ¡°You did seem rather absorbed in the task each time I returned to see if you were finished.¡± ¡°Thank you for your patience.¡± She assured me that thanks are not required, but were appreciated nonetheless. My rumbling belly encouraged me to wrap it up and head back to the castle, which I did, content that another quest could be checked off the list. Chapter 7 No message from Nespolan or invitation had arrived to dine with the Mors, so I ate with the usual company. The thought occurred to me more than once that my meals and rooms here were provided freely. At least, I wasn¡¯t paying for them anyway. Dorstark told me a while ago that there were dozens of argenti, guards, and others accompanying Nespolan enjoying the hospitality of the Mors family. One more would not be imposing on their generosity and I was told to, quite literally, not mention it to our hosts. It was expected that any noble in the kingdom would provide for royal guests, the armies of Norvos, and their accompaniments. I finished writing about the inscriptions in the new book and was reading Morskov''s adventures when a servant arrived to deliver a message. Duke Morstaal, head of the Mors family, invited me to join him for drinks in a drawing room this evening or the next. There didn¡¯t seem to be a point in waiting until tomorrow, so I asked the servant to lead me there. As we walked I thought over my mentor¡¯s advice. This would be my first time hanging out with a noble other than Nespolan, so etiquette would be important. I knew little of the man and couldn¡¯t help but wonder what he was like, especially in comparison to his forebears. My few routes through the castle were limited and my explorations had not taken me to the areas where the family themselves dwelt. The differences between the areas I frequented and these were incredible. Most of what I had seen appeared to be leavings, overflow, and outcasts of decorations compared to the lavish accoutrements placed with discerning care here. I was certain that the structural walls were still stone as they had been below, however many rooms and halls here were covered and dressed with fine woods, murals, and tapestries. The parlor I was led to was beyond unique by comparison to other rooms. Alone for the moment, I walked around the room to marvel at all the details. It appeared to be designed to resemble the interior of an exquisitely crafted ship melded expertly with a room to entertain nobility. The nautical theme included paintings of portals with only water and the sky as if it were a ship out to sea. Exposed beams were richly carved with filigree. It was all so¡­ ¡°Remarkable, is it not?¡± I spun, startled from my reverie. Just inside the door to the room stood a tall man, at least half a head taller than average from what I¡¯ve seen so far - still short compared to me. His attire was not at all noble-like, again comparing it to others I¡¯ve seen - Nespolan excluded. Instead, his well worn clothes matched what one might see on the docks among their officers and captains. The resemblance to Morskov went beyond his ensemble. This man shared the same look of the face, down to the deep, haunting blue eyes that stood out so astoundingly in paintings of his ancestor. In nearly every way he looked to be more a man of the sea and not a Duke; scars, leathery skin, and all. Shaking myself from the stupor, I bowed. ¡°Duke Morstaal I presume?¡± ¡°Aye,¡± he verified with a slight bow of his head. ¡°You look surprised, Sir Sully.¡± ¡°I just¡­ I was not¡­ I apologize, your lordship.¡± Morstaal bellowed a laugh in a way reserved for the hardiest of travelers. ¡°Not at all necessary, I assure you. Any friend of the Nes family is a friend of mine,¡± he declared. ¡°And you, sir, are more than a mere friend to that family. You are a savior as I understand it.¡± He started speaking again before I could start, ¡°The look on your face was amusing however. Almost as good as the preening, self important nobles that request audiences with me. Which is why I dress down, like this, for many such encounters in the first place.¡± If it threw me for a loop, I had to imagine that some stuffy highborn member of polite society would be off balance from the start. With that thought, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh with him. ¡°I see. If I may ask, was that your intention here as well Duke Morstaal?¡± ¡°Please, just Morstaal. And actually, not at all. These clothes,¡± he said gesturing at his apparel, ¡°are just more comfortable. It is also what I wear among friends, confusing as that may seem.¡± The Duke poured two drinks from a crystal container, offering me one, before sitting on a plush couch. ¡°I have heard quite the tale of your arrival and your impressive deeds. Banished gods, I even saw the giant demon with mine own eyes!¡± He held his drink up and out in a toast, nodding his head at me, ¡°You have the gratitude of all Norvos.¡± Humility had been one of my earliest responses when talking with my tutors about that day whenever I was thanked. However I quickly learned that it was fruitless and potentially rude, so I tried to accept it. With a gulp of my surprisingly strong drink I responded, ¡°To be of service to Norvos.¡± ¡°All to the honor and glory of Norvos.¡± ¡°If I may ask, why design a room to look like it is part of a ship?¡± ¡°Not just a design. It actually was part of a ship. Morskov¡¯s last great ship actually, though he never set foot on her.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°His wife had commissioned it for him shortly before he passed. In his journals he admitted the design was too garish for his tastes,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Many generations later she was decommissioned and some parts were used to primp expansions to this ever-growing castle of ours.¡± It became readily apparent shortly thereafter that no one else would be joining us. We shared a pleasant conversation over the course of a few drinks before the Duke finally asked, ¡°Now that we are accustomed to being in the company of friends, was there a specific reason you requested an audience?¡± Initially I had intended to convey my thanks for their hospitality, but that was wiped off the list when I found out that it was somewhat untoward in this situation. There was still the topic of Moskov though, which we hadn¡¯t discussed much. ¡°There is, though since asking I became aware that part of my reasoning would be uncouth,¡± I admitted. ¡°Uncouth? Now you must tell me.¡± ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ Just wanted to express my gratitude for the hospitality the Mors have extended.¡± ¡°Oh, I thought it was going to be something more intriguing. No need to give thanks, we give it freely. Now, what of the remaining reasons?¡± ¡°That aside, I wanted to talk to you about Morskov and Orya.¡± ¡°Aye, which we have spoken about, and there are books, historians, and the like besides.¡± ¡°Actually, that was the last part of what I wanted to ask for. Access to your family¡¯s private libraries.¡± He raised his eyebrow, ¡°For what purpose?¡± ¡°I have seen many maps already, but information regarding lands across the great waters is rarely shown. When inquiring about them it was brought to my attention that your family has one of the largest collections of maps in the kingdom.¡± ¡°That is true and is something our family has always treasured. It is also something we have guarded jealously.¡± I nodded, ¡°I was told that as well.¡± ¡°The royal family has always had access to our collected information, but no outsider has been granted more than a tour in some time. Yours is an unparalleled situation and you are an extraordinary individual. So we may make an exception for you,¡± he swaggered, ¡°if you agree to my request in return.¡± A negotiation then? That was unexpected. ¡°What would you ask of me?¡± ¡°Two things. First, is that you simply return the favor.¡± ¡°I have no grand library, collected knowledge of this world, or anything of the sort.¡± ¡°Yet, my boy. Yet. One day you will however, I am certain of it. My salty bones can feel the potential for greatness in its infancy, on the rare occasions I am in its presence.¡± ¡°High praise, Morstaal. What if I amount to nothing?¡± ¡°Neither you, nor I, believe that Sully. The second thing is that you may not share the knowledge gained within our collection without our express permission.¡± ¡°Ever? Without exception?¡± ¡°You will likely never receive permission to share it with anyone outside the kingdom. Even the royal family accepts similar restrictions and adheres to them without fail.¡± ¡°How would they use it to their benefit then?¡± Duke Morstaal¡¯s cunning grin was all the response he would offer. ¡°Alright, I accept your terms. Upon request, I will grant access to your family of the knowledge I discover and collect from this world with the same restrictions you apply to me.¡± It did not seem at all prudent to ask how such a thing could be enforced. So, I didn¡¯t. ¡°You are a clever lad,¡± he barked in amusement. ¡°Fair enough my boy. What would you request for access to your knowledge not of this world?¡± I couldn¡¯t hide my frown, ¡°Unfortunately, nothing presently. I have quite a bit of that and have not decided to share it so openly just yet.¡± ¡°Is there nothing we may offer in exchange?¡± ¡°I fear that there is nothing you could offer, for now at least.¡± ¡°I will only ask once more before letting the matter rest. Know that we could offer a great many things. More than most, and more than you may be able to imagine.¡± ¡°Again, I must respectfully decline Duke Morstaal.¡± The Duke winked, ¡°Wise choice son. I hope you do not blame an old sailor for trying to strike a bargain though.¡± ¡°Not at all. I really do wish that I could just say yes, but I must think about it quite a bit more. There is knowledge of wondrous, and terrifying, things from there.¡± I stopped myself before saying more as I could see how some knowledge may spin their world into chaos. I wouldn¡¯t free myself of it if I had to choose, but I also recognized it as both a blessing and a burden all the same. ¡°You are¡­ Aren¡¯t you? An old sailor that is.¡± He guffawed, ¡°Aye. Noticed that did you?¡± ¡°It was unexpected, like your choice of attire.¡± ¡°Anyone who wishes to become a prominent member of our family must first find themselves at sea¡­ or be lost to her black depths.¡± ¡°So everyone in the Mors family becomes a sailor?¡± ¡°Most, not all, are drawn by her song. Few of ours become common sailors though. Officers, captains, navigators, cartographers, merchants, and the like.¡± ¡°How much of your life have you sailed?¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Still do,¡± he beamed. ¡°I go out a couple times each spring and summer. Fishing, trade, and patrols mostly.¡± I thought he would have given it up like the founder of Orya. ¡°Unlike Morskov then?¡± He nodded, ¡°Would not think I could survive a year straight on land if I had to. Bless the man for having wives who called to him stronger than the azure mistress.¡± ¡°He had more than one wife?¡± I hadn¡¯t read about that yet. ¡°Not really. His wife on land, Morsnima, and his wife that is this land, Orya.¡± ¡°You have referred to the sea differently than most I have heard and read. Azure mistress?¡± Well, I wasn¡¯t going to ask him why his own wife didn¡¯t have her own siren¡¯s song. He took in a deep breath and let out a long sigh. ¡°It is not a well guarded secret, but we Mors follow an ancient goddess of the vast blue expanses.¡± ¡°Not Selev then?¡± ¡°Curse that dread name,¡± he spat. ¡°More ships have been lost praying to that impudent character than have been saved.¡± ¡°What of Navi, his lover?¡± ¡°Morvida is the goddess of all open waters and has been Navi¡¯s lover¡­ Before she was cast out by a spiteful little sect that gained power in the faiths.¡± ¡°Interesting. I meant no offense.¡± ¡°It is not you who caused any offense, Sully.¡± ¡°Morvida? It is not a coincidence that your family name is similar, is it?¡± ¡°When he was granted land and title, Morskov changed the family name to honor her. You can read all this when you visit our libraries, though I fear you do not have much time before you will be leaving Orya.¡± I frowned, ¡°I will use the time that I have left to do just that. Though I fear it has been too long since I have slept, and I need to pay off that debt before diving into that well of knowledge.¡± ¡°Nor am I as young as I once was,¡± he yawned. The Duke sat up in his seat quickly, ¡°We have had such a splendid conversation, something nearly slipped my mind. The line of Mors wish to bestow a gift before you leave.¡± He stood up and walked toward a long table beside the door. ¡°This is for you,¡± Morstall beamed, placing a meter long model ship in front of me. The details were incredible. I leaned in to look it over, genuinely surprised at the design and impressive level of work that must have gone into it. The replica even looked like it could actually float and sail, which I thought was awesome - whether it could or not. Having not inspected any of the boats in the Oryan harbor or dry docks, this thing looked unlike anything I¡¯ve seen. The hull was that of a large round ship or merchant vessel, with a prominent ram style prow that would sit just above the surface of the water. A giant pointed chin jutting out beneath the figurehead which protruded quite a bit less. Like the super-sized love child of a Spanish galleon and a Grecian warship. Its most distinguishing feature was the figurehead. The uncanny likeness of a minotaur stood at the front of the bow in a menacing pose. As I looked closer, I realized that it only had half a face with the other half being a bare skull. Again with the bull and minotaur theme. I was probably never going to separate that from my image. Nonetheless, it was an awesome gift. ¡°You are too kind, Morstaal.¡± ¡°Oh, this is not all. It is the representation of your gift.¡± ¡°Representation?¡± I thought. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°This is the model of a ship we are building this winter. Your ship.¡± ¡°My ship?¡± He grabbed a few rolled up plans and laid them out next to the model. ¡°Aye, your ship,¡± he echoed. I was interested before when it was just a model, but now that it was going to be a real ship I was fascinated. There were already things I saw that could be improved on the design¡­ but would have to weigh my options on providing input. First off, I¡¯m not a shipwright. And secondly, they would then have access to any improvements thereafter. Maybe that was part of Morstaal¡¯s plan? Clever Duke. Their system of measurement still seemed bizarre to me, but it seemed like the boat was about one hundredth scale - meaning it would be an impressive sized boat. What on not-Earth would I do with a ship though? His answer was that I could have taken it out to explore if I had chosen to stay in Orya, which he discussed with Nespolan more than a month ago. I felt slighted as I thought about the possibility and not being informed. That only lasted until he assured me I could have purchased a small fleet of ships with the wealth I was gifted. If I had no use of the ship when it was finished, they would be willing to use it and split the profits of any voyages with me. That seemed like a good enough plan for now as I wasn¡¯t sure what I would actually do with a ship. He also explained that if I ever did send for it that he would stock and crew the ship for its journey to me, which included a team of magi and ministers. Magic users were often used by wealthy merchants, nobles, and other benefactors to aid a ship. They could heal crews, assist in repairs somehow, summon favorable winds, defend the ship, put out fires, and bail faster than anyone else. Unlike crew though, they were contracted from the Resolute or bound to someone - still receiving no pay themselves. Another hour went by with us just talking about the ship. Once we both yawned in tandem we knew it was time to call it a night. I thanked him again, for everything. Morstaal called a servant to carry the model, which was surprisingly heavy, and I took the copy of my ship¡¯s plans. Before parting he also gave me instructions to call on his nephew, Morslon for access to their libraries and how to find them. I hadn¡¯t known what to expect when I¡¯d requested the meeting, but it turned out so much better than I could have hoped. It may have taken me a whole sixty seconds to fall asleep after crawling into bed, and that whole night all I dreamt about was my ship. ***** The sun by itself didn¡¯t wake me as it had most days. Fortunately I requested that the servant who carried the ship model schedule someone to wake me up just after sunrise, just in case. So many books I¡¯ve read where the protagonist is transported to another world, like my present situation, had spoken about their longing for things from home. Given how prepared I was, that wasn¡¯t really the case for me most of the time. Most of the time was not mornings like this though. I longed for coffee. Sure, I had some instant coffee, but I hadn¡¯t broken down to open any of it yet. There were some caffeine pills and other light stimulants though, so that is where I sought respite from my bleary eyed state before eating. I inhaled my food between brief pleasantries with others around me in the dining hall. And, with all that and a trip to the privy finished, I made my way to find Morslon. About half an hour later and I was led into a cavernous expanse of a library. ¡°How many books are there,¡± I inquired with wide-eyed enthusiasm. ¡°Just north of fifty-thousand bound volumes if the accounts are accurate. That does not include the hundreds of maps, which are the envy of all Norvos and rival kingdoms.¡± If being the envy of bibliophiles was a sign of wealth and power, the Mors must truly be titans. Of course, I have no basis of comparison in this world as usual, so who knows. It could be a hollow boast, though I doubted that. ¡°I am to help you locate anything you may need, to make the best use of your time.¡± ¡°And to keep an eye on me,¡± I thought wryly. That wasn¡¯t fair though, I doubted they would fear theft with all the guards in the halls and as a royal guest. It felt odd even thinking about that, being attached to royalty so casually. ¡°Excellent! The first thing I want to look at are the maps and any books on geography. My goal is to cover this... ¡®continent¡¯... hmmm.¡± I had to pause to think for a moment. ¡°Continuous land? Lands bound between oceans? I must admit, I do not know the word.¡± ¡°I believe you mean Obil. It is the name for all the unbroken lands.¡± I thought back to the lessons I had in geography, but those had mostly covered Norvos and some of the surrounding regions. ¡°Why have I not heard it before?¡± Morslon shrugged, ¡°It is simply not commonly used. Most people do not need to know the name of something so expansive that they will never see it all. It is likely unfathomable to most, besides.¡± ¡°Obil,¡± I said, testing out the word. ¡°Alright, Obil first and then the lands beyond after.¡± Morslon led me to the back of the absolutely ginormous library, through a door, and into a smaller map room. We got to work, pulling out half a dozen rolled maps at a time. These first maps were the newest and hopefully most accurate. He unrolled them and secured them to a map table with a protruding arm at each corner. I looked over the map then took pictures of it on my phone while he was fetching the next one. Hopefully he didn¡¯t see what I was doing, though if he did there was no mention of it. Of course there were maps of Norvos, including detailed maps of specific domains within the kingdom. The political, resource, trade, and other distinct maps would be great for me to study up on. A couple hours in and we had gotten through nearly a hundred maps of mostly Norvos and the surrounding kingdoms. Unfortunately there were none of Orbil in its entirety. Moving on to large cabinets with shallow drawers, it was time for older, more esoteric, maps. Some of these were thousands of years old, which likely meant they were less accurate too. The first of these he brought to me were still of Orbil, but distant regions far to the south and east. Scale and distance were difficult for me to gauge, but if my assumptions were right the continent may rival all of Eurasia! I was just using the distance between various cities, asking travel time by wagon, and some random geography to make that highly uneducated guesstimate. The continents around Orbil were even worse for me to figure out measurements. One of the experienced captains could probably work me through it all, but so many maps had strange scales and foreign number systems. Few agreed on all the unambiguous details of the foreign continents, especially inland, but many shared key coastal features. In total there were four other large continents and dozens of islands ranging from archipelago chains to lands like England, Greenland, New Zealand, and as large as Australia. A few hours later and I got pictures of everything Morslon thought was worth sharing. I prodded him about what he wasn¡¯t showing and agreed with him after seeing a bunch. Many appeared to be beyond ancient maps or lands which had no reference to Orbil at all. That doesn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t take pictures of them, because I did. Of course I did. Why wouldn¡¯t I? Most geography books proved to be somewhat less useful than the maps as they primarily contained histories, cultural information, and details about cities. Some even went into such small details as local plants and wildlife. I set aside a pair of them before asking Morslon to fetch books on commerce, trade, and mercantilism. It seemed like a good segway to me. I looked up to see him peering over my shoulder while flipping through and taking photos of the second book. ¡°Sir Sully, may I inquire as to what you are doing with that strange box?¡± ¡°Well, shit,¡± I thought. Caught red handed, with my pants down. Thus far I have basically told the truth and that was working out for me. Keeping track of lies always seemed unnerving and tedious too, which is why I usually tried to avoid it. ¡°It allows me to capture something like an illustration,¡± I said while holding the screen up to him. A more in-depth explanation was necessary after that. Of course, he heard the story about how I arrived, but Morslon was skeptical until I told him a bit more, showing him more of what the phone could do. He was full of questions after that, which I had to put an end to for now or I would make no further progress with this project. ¡°So, are you going to tell your uncle?¡± ¡°Of course. I must.¡± ¡°Damnit.¡± Bribing him didn¡¯t seem right, nor did I think it would actually work. He seemed rather devoted to his family despite being something of a black sheep. He studied my face as I mulled over what I could do. Perhaps it would be best to just confess to Morstaal myself, directly. ¡°He will not be upset, I assure you.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Duke Morstaal asked me to accompany you on your trek back to Videm, where I would be returning anyway. I spend the winters there studying and return here some time in the spring or summer each year.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± That didn¡¯t really explain why he wouldn¡¯t be absolutely pissed that I was essentially copying knowledge they were protective of. ¡°Which means?¡± ¡°It means, Sir Sully,¡± Morslon said as he lowered into a kneeling position, ¡°that I would ask if you would take me into your service. I wish to pledge myself to you, if you will have me.¡± ¡°You want me to hire you?¡± He shook his head, ¡°I would like to be a member of your argenti.¡± I stood there, dumbfounded. ¡°I still only vaguely understand what that means.¡± They weren¡¯t slaves, but they were bound to someone for life. That seemed like a lot of responsibility to take on. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should, or can, have an argenti.¡± ¡°Of course you can. Anyone can, though most are not offered such a pact unless they are a person of import.¡± ¡°Is there anything magical about the bond?¡± ¡°Some believe there is, but I doubt such claims. Rumors exist to impress loyalty both to and from benefactors.¡± That brought up an excellent question. ¡°How is loyalty enforced then?¡± ¡°It is largely left up to the individuals to decide, though proven betrayal, by a patron or their argenti, is punishable by death. This is considered one of the more sacred laws within Norvos and why ours are a people who consider themselves to be a more civilized society.¡± ¡°What would happen to my argenti should the worst come to pass?¡± Morslon remained kneeling on the hard stone, unwavering. ¡°If you were to die? Members of your argenti would have the choice of honoring your will, following your wishes to join another, or returning to the Resolute if they were a member.¡± Better than having to follow me to the grave. ¡°Any downsides you think I should know of before I decide? Or, you know, any other benefits?¡± ¡°I am afraid of the ocean and can not swim¡­¡± He admitted, hanging his head in shame. ¡°Nothing more? Are you afraid of water in general?¡± ¡°Nothing more? That is certainly the most grievous failing I could have among our family. It is why I will never captain a ship or rise to power. And no, just deeper waters. Mostly.¡± This wasn¡¯t an easy decision. Not because of his supposed shortcomings, because that didn¡¯t really matter to me. I wouldn¡¯t be going out to sea in the near future. It was difficult because I would be accepting responsibility for the life of another and it wasn¡¯t something I wanted to take lightly. Thinking about it did nothing to help his nerves, but he never stood or slumped. It had been the single motion - the act of momentarily lowering his head, ashamed because he probably had thalassophobia. Maybe he wasn¡¯t fully aquaphobic. None of that mattered. I was just just thinking in circles around the decision. ¡°Well, ¡®bud¡¯, it seems like you will have a new family. I accept your pledge. I shall do my best to keep you alive, and thriving, at my side.¡± Chapter 8 Morslon took to our task with newfound fervor. Despite it being rather arduous, he relished in using the tablet and tripod I grabbed for him. Really all he knew was how to wake it up and take pictures. To him even that rather mundane feat was beyond comprehension. For me, his spells were the most impressive thing yet. Apparently he knew only a handful, but two proved extremely useful for this task. I had asked him for bright candles and mirrors to better light the books. His response was to ¡®simply¡¯ cast a spell to create orbs of light that hovered in the air for a time. Possibly better than that was his ability to hasten our mundane efforts. The spell didn¡¯t feel at all like what I would have expected from a ¡®haste¡¯ spell, but he assured me that it worked. It did appear that we were getting things done quite a bit faster. I would have to record the effects on camera later. We focused on various books on mercantilism and economics, with some math texts sprinkled in. As suspected, their grasp of math was woefully emaciated. With two of us working to take pictures we were able to capture entire books, page by page, well into the night. We ate and headed to bed as I did not want to skip another full night of sleep. We got into gear early the next day, focusing on the sciences. Again, these were limited, though not as much as arithmetic. A slew of texts covered the little medical understanding available with more than a bit of it supported by magic, alchemy, and herbalism. Surprisingly, simple healing spells and alchemy weren¡¯t confined to the separate section with the rest of the manuscripts on magic. However, many of them did have religious overtones. To its credit, magic and alchemy synergized remarkably well and covered a wide array of areas I had not expected. For example, penicillin and vaccines did not exist, but dozens of curative potions took their place. There were tinctures and solutions for all manner of purposes, including many which were well outside my own ability to understand them. It just didn¡¯t make sense, so I would believe in invisibility potions when I saw them for myself. One of my favorite topics was next on the list; linguistics. Numerous texts translating languages from one to another screamed for me to pour through them on the spot. It took every bit of willpower that I could muster to avoid digging deeper, but it wouldn¡¯t be worth it to lose focus. Like the books on geography, many of these dabbled in cultural explanations of their native speakers for added context. Others were straightforward guides on translating one language to another, most often using Norvosian. Frustratingly, some had two or more languages I could not read at all with no Norvosian for reference. Still, I refused to get hung up on any of them. Our midday break was short, leaving me satiated but not full. I was eager to get into the next area we were covering though - magic. Morslon led me to a different library. The room itself wasn¡¯t small, but each book was given ample presentation on its own. In total appeared to be fewer than two hundred, which was underwhelming compared to the extensive collection in the other area. ¡°Is this all?¡± ¡°All of what?¡± ¡°The books on magic?¡± ¡°This collection represents the entirety of our family¡¯s arcane tomes. It is considered rather immense by the standards of most nobles.¡± A couple hundred books? It didn¡¯t seem like much after leaving the grand library, but I wouldn¡¯t complain. They are the first I have seen in this world and I was still excited to get started. Twenty minutes in and I realized that I had only taken a couple pictures, reading instead of just flipping pages and taking shots. Morslon dutifully prioritized them and we worked diligently. After spending so much time doing this already, we were beginning to create a decently efficient system. What I didn¡¯t want to give up for speed was quality, but we worked those kinks out during the stretch of economics books. I had to continually remind myself as the day wore on that there would be plenty of time to read them all later. The majority of them weren¡¯t written in Norvosian, so that helped me stay focused somewhat. Unless I became distracted trying to figure out entirely new languages. Right now I just wanted to get as many done as possible. Sorting them out later would be a bit of a hurdle, but agan, that was a worry for another time. Most of the spells and rituals were centered around higher priorities in Orya - sailing, fishing, ship building, and stuff like that. After sundown we ate again. We would power through the night to complete as much as possible before preparing to leave. The last books I had asked to get specifically were any that were mysteries. Undeciphered ancient languages, books no one had been able to actually use, and any that were extraordinarily unique but had not been prioritized earlier. These we finished less than an hour before sunrise. It was hard not to push to finish them all as there were only twenty-one books magic tomes left. Not bad, really. And we would not be the cause of delaying our departure. That would suck. Of course I took a bunch of random pictures of the libraries, halls, and everything else that I could on the way back to my room though. I felt obligated to, for posterity¡¯s sake. Almost everything I owned was already in chests and trunks, so packing was a breeze. I requested a crew of skane to carry everything, including the model ship in a case that had been dropped off for it, to the courtyard in front of the castle. Apparently I had my own storage wagon and my own carriage, which was somewhat boujee... and awesome. Most days I wouldn¡¯t want to be that posh, but I knew we had a long trip ahead of us and would not turn away the added comfort. There were dozens of wagons, carriages, and carts being loaded up outside the castle. Scores of people hustled about to finish preparations for our departure. Most shocking were the number of skane; hundreds of them. I hadn¡¯t seen more than a half dozen working in the same area at the same time before now. The orcish reptiles hauled goods and gear tirelessly without complaint. ¡°This is Sir Sully your eminence,¡± I heard from a familiar voice behind me. I turned to see the same minister who helped me with Kuriy¡¯s gifts and a man I hadn¡¯t seen before standing beside her. ¡°Ah, Sir Sully. My name is Kuldar, High Minister of Orya,¡± he said with a deep bow. ¡°I am pleased to make your acquaintance.¡± I bowed in return. ¡°Kuldar, the pleasure is mine. You were looking for me?¡± ¡°Actually, I requested your presence two days ago but heard back that you were otherwise indisposed.¡± ¡°Unfortunately I was, and must apologize for not coming to see you. Though I also admit that I received no such message.¡± He scratched his chin and mumbled something I couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°That is behind us now.¡± The High Minister smiled. ¡°I knew you were leaving Orya and wanted to speak with you before the opportunity passed.¡± I nodded and gestured back to the draft animals with their burdens, ¡°Nearly ready it would seem, so you have arrived just in time. What is it you wanted to discuss.¡± ¡°I felt it important to meet you in person given the nature of your offerings and your¡­ arrival.¡± Like a bobblehead, I nodded again. That was not surprising as we had left a slain minotaur in his temple for days. At least he was not upset about the mess. ¡°Though I cannot speak for the gods, I wanted to convey the gratitude of our order for your acts. Nor am I a seer who divines the future, but I know you will be written of in many accounts.¡± Keldar pulled a scroll from within his robes and handed it to me. ¡°Are these instructions you have given accurate according to your wills Sir Sully?¡± The scroll was fairly short and simple, representing both the spirit of my intentions and the words, verbatim. I reread it again to ensure there was nothing missing and that all would be carried out as I wanted. I rolled up the scroll and returned it. ¡°They are.¡± ¡°If I may have some more of your time¡­ Have you conferred your instructions to anyone else?¡± I thought back on it, ¡°No. She and Dorstark were the only people present, and I have not told anyone else of it.¡± I could have mentioned the specifics to Nespolan, Morstaal, or my other mentors¡­ but it didn¡¯t feel right, so I hadn¡¯t. Even when speaking to Morslan about it I only vaguely mentioned that I had paid tribute to Kuriy without going into any details. ¡°Joyus day and merciful gods!¡± Keldar exclaimed with an excited hop. It almost looked like the old guy was about to dance a jig. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± ¡°It is either a curious coincidence or divine guidance.¡± ¡°My instructions?¡± ¡°Surely! The offerings and your instructions must have been touched by Kuriy as I cannot believe that there would multiple such coincidences in such a short time.¡± ¡°I am not certain that I follow High Minister Keldar. My apologies, but what do you mean?¡± ¡°We have already had three faithful souls come to us who have received items, as per your precise instructions.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°That does seem rather odd¡­ May I ask which items? And what can you tell me about these people?¡± ¡°The two rations and two gold coins went to two individuals who are caravanners leaving with your group today. Unfortunately I can only provide vague descriptions of them.¡± That didn¡¯t really seem all too remarkable by itself, given that I knew we were leaving soon. That may have influenced me on a subconscious level when I came up with the guidelines for them. But that meant one of the other items was handed out as well. ¡°What was the third item?¡± ¡°A half starved foreigner stumbled into the public temple. I was told that he walked, barefoot, by sheer force of will alone and should have been crawling given his condition. Without assistance, he walked right up to Kuriy before collapsing to his knees and sobbed, inconsolably.¡± ¡°The compass,¡± I thought. ¡°We tended to him and he was about to leave when one of the ministers recalled the instructions which had been passed around to be memorized,¡± he preached. ¡°He was stopped just before leaving and was provided the compass, maps, and three gold. It was said that the look of elation on his face represented a remarkable change in demeanor as he had not two bits to his name when he arrived.¡± I stood in stunned silence as he shared the story. ¡°Without a word, he walked up to a man who approached Kuriy to pray and handed him one gold. The foreigner knelt in the middle of the temple for a time and we decided it best not to disturb him. Eventually he walked to Navi across the temple and gave a second coin to a woman paying tribute to the goddess.¡± Alright, that was definitely too much to be a coincidence. ¡°What¡­ I mean, who was he?¡± ¡°We were not able to get any information about him sir. Our apologies.¡± ¡°Why not? Did he just vanish into thin air after that?¡± Keldar looked mildly offended for a moment. ¡°No, Sir Sully. The stranger could not speak, or chose not to. The minister did recount the restrictions accompanying your gifts to him, and wrote them down as well, which he seemed to understand and agree with.¡± ¡°What happened after that?¡± ¡°He left, in far better spirits than he arrived. The man appeared to have a renewed vigor and sense of confidence about him. I had him followed to see where he would go.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°The foreigner purchased travelling clothes, gear, rations, and a steed. Then he left Orya through the southern tunnel,¡± the High Minister shrugged. ¡°The only other thing I can tell you is that the man was ¡®tiru¡¯.¡± ¡°Tiru?¡± I asked in disbelief. ¡°In Orya?¡± The tiru were a different species of humanoids; generally taller and more lithe than the humans of this world. It was surprising because, from what I¡¯ve read, they were reclusive and didn¡¯t travel outside their lands. A tribe of them would settle somewhere and adapt to thrive in that area. ¡°What of the other two, whom he gave the coins? When did all this happen?¡± ¡°He came the day following your visit, which is why I sent for you. The other two are also very... accurate.¡± ¡°The woman is the widower of a soldier among Nespolan¡¯s forces who perished in a recent battle. She was debating sailing east before travelling south to return home faster than Nespolan¡¯s army can travel, leaving with the slower but safer route with the caravan, or remaining in Orya.¡± Keldar shifted his weight and looked directly into my eyes, ¡°She is with child and prayed to Navi for protection and direction. According to her, she felt unease with the thoughts of sailing and restlessness at the idea of returning to Videm.¡± ¡°So she sought to make her home in Orya¡­¡± I mumbled incredulously. Errantly wondering if it was common for spouses to travel with troops. ¡°That she does,¡± he confirmed. ¡°The man is a merchant who wished to settle here if his next venture out of Orya was successful and prayed to Kuriy for safe travels and success. He left immediately hoping to make it to his destination and back before winter sets in.¡± There were five of them in total who received the gifts in a matter of days, and two of them had been recipients of re-gifting. I would probably not figure out who the two with the caravan were given the hundreds of people travelling with us. ¡°The woman is still here in Orya though.¡± ¡°What can you tell me of the woman?¡± ¡°It is against our basic tenants to discuss patrons in detail to those outside our orders. I have told you as much as I am comfortable sharing, even with someone such as yourself Sir Sully. However, we will be maintaining contact with her to see if the gods grant her further favor.¡± ¡°Would you be willing and able to send me periodic updates then, without disclosing her identity?¡± ¡°We will be able to do that much at least.¡± ¡°You have my thanks. Please take this to cover any expenses incurred.¡± I pulled out a single gold coin and handed it to him. It was probably more than it would cost to send me messages, but I hadn¡¯t started carrying other denominations of coins yet. ¡°Most generous, sir. It will be my pleasure to keep you apprised of how your kazan unfold.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow, ¡°My what?¡± Keldar looked at me quizzically, unsure of what I was asking. ¡°Kazan. A future telling or prediction, Sir Sully. Divinations granted to a mortal by the gods,¡± Dorstark said as he walked up to stand beside me. I looked at Dorstark in disbelief. ¡°A prophecy?¡± Nope, they definitely weren¡¯t prophecies. I just spouted off some random instructions that flowed out. Off the cuff. Besides, if it was a prophecy, did that mean I didn¡¯t say or do those things of my own free will? Wouldn¡¯t that be robbing me of my own agency? ¡°I, uh, do not believe what I said were, um, kazan.¡± Keldar¡¯s grin grew almost predatory, which was an odd look for a peaceful priestly type. ¡°Were you not delivered to our world by Kuriy himself?¡± He asked, shaking his head. ¡°No need to answer Sir Sully. You are new to our world and your faith will grow in time. Already you have accomplished much.¡± I looked between Keldar and Dorstark, choosing not to talk about it more. There was too much internal conflict going on right now for me to actually put my thoughts into words. ¡°Did you need me for something Dorstark?¡± ¡°I came over to make you aware of our imminent departure.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I acknowledged before turning back to Keldar. ¡°I look forward to hearing from you. It should be easy enough to reach me for a time as I have no plans to travel again after reaching Videm. Please include any information about future recipients as well.¡± I bowed deeply, turned, and walked toward the castle entrance where Nespolan and Morstaal were saying their farewells. It was equal parts awesome and unnerving to think that some being could be using me as a pawn or plaything. This whole thing just wasn¡¯t something I was just going to be able to digest easily, even in small pieces. Like corn. Existential crisis corn. We weren¡¯t actually leaving in the next couple minutes, which meant that Dorstark may actually be an excellent wingman in addition to being a mage and mentor. Our conversation with the Duke was light hearted with talk of looking forward to our paths crossing again in the future. Morstaal confirmed that Morslon had spoken to him about pledging himself to me, and that other little tidbit about photographing as much as I could of their collection. There was a mostly facetious threat made about adhering to the restrictions of our deal. And I tittered a mostly amused nervous chuckle. When it was finally time to leave there were fond farewells, but no waving, as we pulled away one after another. I rode alone in my carriage for now so I could catch up on sleep and try to get some writing done between naps. The entrance of the tunnel was inside a stronghold just one level below the castle¡¯s courtyard to the south. Anyone entering the city this way could find themselves trapped in the walled area, easily being picked off by archers. It was about as large as a two-lane tunnel back home too. We passed through the vast, dimly lit tunnel beneath the castle for longer than I would have expected. This would be the next leg of my journeys here in Norvos and I couldn¡¯t help but be thrilled to see what would come next. Already I was¡­ well, not blessed¡­ but fortunate. I couldn¡¯t use that word to describe myself now. Not after that. I watched the tunnel open up into the courtyard of a surprisingly large fortress obviously designed to protect this side of it. Our caravan rolled through without stopping. Outside the gate we passed between rows upon rows of mounted knights lining the roadside; hundreds of them. The space outside the walls was cleared for at least a kilometer and filled with people. They were formed up and prepared to walk in the largest parade I could have ever fathomed. From inside the carriage I couldn¡¯t see an end to them. So, I opened my door and, like a perfectly normal refined person of high society accompanying a member of the royal family, climbed onto the roof¡­ I carefully stood on top and peered out across the assembled masses from my new vantage point. There was no way I was going to try counting them all. Beyond them were vast farmlands. Winds sending waves of verdant and gold rippling into the distance. A seemingly endless sea of soldiers, servants, and skane stood about, waiting. Countless wagons and carts led by various beasts of burden lined up in rows down the road beyond the mounted troops. At least half as many spare mounts and draft animals idled in groups to be led on foot. In theory I knew what an army would have looked like during similar eras of my home world, but empirically I knew nothing - which was a recurring theme for me. The cart bumped to a stop, forcing me to drop to my hands and knees. There were a few snickers, but the roaring laugh I heard accompanied by hoofbeats was one I recognized. Nespolan galloped up alongside my coach. ¡°Careful Sully. We wouldn¡¯t want the great demon slayer to hurt himself from a fall,¡± the High Commander playfully taunted. ¡°Have you not seen the likes of an army on the march before?¡± ¡°Can not say that I have,¡± I said, ¡°or could not before now anyway.¡± With a redeeming modicum of grace, I hopped down. When talking about his mission I had always pictured a few hundred troops, not an army of ten-thousand or more. They must have been camped here the entire time I was in Norvos. ¡°The finest Norvos has to offer, eh?¡± he called with a bellow and closed fist thrust into the air. The cheering reply from his troops was immediate and spread rapidly to an ear shattering crescendo. ¡°To Videm!¡± I sat atop my carriage for more than an hour as the troops took to the road in groups. Wagons were interspersed along the growing column of those on foot and mounts. Periodically outriders left in groups to scout well off the road. It was doubtful that anyone aside Nespolan and Dorstark would have known that I was using my phone to record the procession. So, I chose to do exactly that. Not capturing this would have been criminal. My driver warned me that we would be moving again soon, so I moved back inside. Finally, after hours of waiting, we were moving again. The first thing I needed to do, now that we were well and truly underway, was update my quest list and inventory. I marked Norvosian Knowledge and World Knowledge as both progressing to the second in those quest chains. I bumped Investigate Arrival up to the third. Morskov¡¯s Fables and Gift for a God were both completed. I did not write down a follow up quest for the latter of those two. My quest to copy as many books as possible, Solid State Scriptorium, got an update and was bumped up to the next rank. The last quest to be updated was Resurrecting Romano¡¯s Runes, which was part of my never ending mission to solve the mysteries my ancestors had stumbled upon. With that minor task done, I returned the computer to my bag and laid down. Alluring alliteration aside, the quirky quest names made me laugh to myself as I drifted off to dream of wondrous words and wards. Chapter 9 I woke with a start, drenched in a cold sweat. The dreams started off pleasant enough, but devolved into nightmares at some point. Faceless gods were chasing me through endless darkness, their presence never far behind. Strings were attached to me. I was forced to run, like a marionette. Against my will I danced and entertained the ethereal beings until I would begin running again. The haunting ordeal had not awoken me. The fall off the seat, or sudden stop on the floor, did. My carriage had come to a stop, sending me tumbling. I groaned and sat up. It was already dark outside. Calls could be heard in the distance in all directions. Initially I worried we were being ambushed, but that thought quickly faded. Who would have the balls to attack an army on the march? The orders being shouted were mostly related to setting up camp. I wiped my brow and scratched my head, still not enjoying the short fuzz of hair. It beat being bald without eyebrows at all and I didn¡¯t miss the sweat rolling directly into my eyes. I stepped out of the cab, into shin high grass. We were parked off the road in a clearing about fifty meters wide, ending at a treeline. The other side of the road was similarly open up to the wall of trees. The area on either side was deforested to make for safer roads and to allow large caravans to set up camp. Equally as impressive was the paved road stretching into the distance. I couldn¡¯t help but think about the work that went into such a large project. The Oryan castle was another such impressive feat of labor, as was the tunnel. One thing I had not studied was architecture, construction, and civic works. That could be easily remedied once we get to Videm. Large tents were erected nearby and cookfires already burned nearby. There were no guards or mentors immediately around me and, for the first time since arriving, I felt alone¡­ even among this caravan of countless people. There was no one watching over me. No one was tethered to me. It was an odd sensation. Being naked didn¡¯t bother me overly much, but this felt close to that. Like I was stripped bare in the middle of a city. Exposed. Despite the army around which would keep everyone safe, there was no one in my immediate vicinity to keep me personally safe. What if a thief wanted to steal my grimoire? Everything I brought with me from home, and some of what I have obtained since, was with me right now. That included the chest of gold tucked under a bench in the carriage. Where was everything else? My other trunks of belongings? I fretted about and looked for the wagon with everything else I owned, though never straying far from my carriage. Even with just our cluster of wagons there were dozens of them. I kicked myself for not hiring a personal guard. It would have cost me what, a single gold for the entire trip back? A few gold with personal servants? I¡¯m sure that I could have bought them all gear, rations, and horses without really noticing the expense. The whole time at the castle I had felt secure, but there had not been this many people around my stuff at any point. When I left my room it remained guarded. Everyone around me was extremely considerate as well; never touching anything that was mine without express permission. It had seemed odd and noteworthy whenever it occurred, but now it stuck out more in my mind. Going into the city itself I hadn¡¯t seen pickpockets, but I couldn¡¯t believe that there was no crime. That seemed entirely unrealistic, even in a world where my grasp of ¡®what is real here¡¯ was put in question periodically. ¡°Sir Sully, you look positively stricken.¡± I jumped and a small squeak may have escaped my dried vocal cage. Not at all like a delicate princess or squeezed songbird. Bemused, Morslon stifled a laugh. ¡°I took the liberty of selecting a spot and having a team begin to set up our tent. Figured it would be good to show you where it was, so I came to find you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I sipped from a canteen to wet my throat. ¡°I see. Wait, our tent?¡± ¡°Nespolan provided a tent for you, though I do have my own if you¡¯d prefer privacy.¡± It had been my plan to use my camping tent from home originally, but this was already being set up. I decided to check it out before deciding one way or another. ¡°What about all my stuff?¡± I asked, gesturing to the stack of trunks and bags strapped to the back of the carriage. ¡°Or the rest of my stuff on a wagon somewhere?¡± ¡°If you would like we can have it all moved into the tent as well. Most storage wagons do not get unloaded every time we stop, though it is your decision to make.¡± Still uneasy about it all, I looked between all my things and Morslon. ¡°Will it all be safe though?¡± ¡°As safe as it can be, especially in this section of the march.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± He shrugged, ¡°It is the most heavily guarded. The commander, officers, nobles, and others of high station mostly travel in the middle of the entire caravan.¡± That made sense. I grabbed my bags and grimoire before stopping myself. It was all incredibly heavy and we had servants to help out, right? ¡°Would you mind carrying one of my bags?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± he said as he picked up the duffel bag. Morslon led me to a spot only about twenty meters away to a large tent being set up. ¡°Here we are.¡± The tent I brought from my old world was a small one person tent meant to be light and portable. This behemoth had to be twenty-five square meters and would be tall enough to walk in at every wall, even for me. Why on¡­ whatever the name of this planet was¡­ is it so big? ¡°Why is the tent so large? He looked around the area at other tents, which were all similarly sized or larger. ¡°It is fairly standard for those above the rank and file actually. They will move in the beds, desk, table and chairs after it has been set up.¡± A fully furnished tent? That seemed incredibly wasteful and frivolous. However, I was not going to complain or choose to stay in a tiny tent if this was mine. That made me wonder why Morslon wanted to share a tent though. ¡°I am not saying you need to have your own tent set up, but why share one if you have your own?¡± ¡°Well, argenti typically share their patron¡¯s tent or are pooled into group tents. You did mention that you wanted to sort through the pictures though. I figured we would be up for a while tonight doing that, assuming you slept for a bit.¡± He was right, which I told him. I had not considered including him with all the remaining work to be done. Just thinking about the volume of images made me dread the work somewhat, but I wanted to do it so they would be more useful later. It also meant I had to teach him how to do a few things, like how to drag and drop files. The tent was set up in short order, then furniture was moved in. I had only glamped, or glamorous camped, like this a few times before while out on digs. Well, there were a few music festivals too, but those were very different experiences by comparison. Like the carriage, I would take the improved level of comfort afforded from my proximity to Nespolan. That isn¡¯t the right way to think of it either, not really. I am a wealthy man right now and even had a means to gain recurring income once my ship set sail next spring. It would take some getting used to the idea of being independently wealthy, even as someone who grew up with a trust fund. This was my own wealth now. Morslon sent a servant to fetch food for us as I showed him what to do on the tablet. My anal retentive data hording demanded that everything be backed up on a second drive as we worked, so I set that up on the laptop so it would stay updated automatically. Without cloud storage I was anxious about losing data in a world where none of these devices could be replaced. The hardest part was actually showing him how to make a folder. It was all the more difficult because he obviously couldn¡¯t read any of it. I also had to help him anytime he touched the wrong button or literally any other issue popped up, which happened quite a bit somehow. Fortunately for both of us, I have an abundance of patience most of the time. Compared to taking the pictures, this was going to be a slog that would take us days - which we had more than enough of to look forward to during the trip. Dorstark announced himself before asking, ¡°Hungry?¡± ¡°Ravenous,¡± I called out to him. ¡°Skipped lunch and slept the entire way here.¡± ¡°May I enter? I come bearing food.¡± I laughed, ¡°Of course, please do.¡± He walked in, looked around, and placed the platters of food on the table in the middle of the tent. ¡°What are you working on?¡± ¡°Organizing pictures,¡± I said, even though the Norvosian word I used for ¡®pictures¡¯ was more aptly translated to ¡®paintings¡¯ or ¡®illustrations¡¯. ¡°How would you be able to read such tiny manuscripts?¡± ¡°I was curious about that myself,¡± Morslon chimed in. They didn¡¯t realize I could zoom in¡­ That actually hadn¡¯t occurred to me until now, so I did just that. Two pairs of eyes widened in astonishment. ¡°My apologies for not showing you this sooner. I take a lot of the specifics for granted.¡± I paused for a moment, thinking about it. ¡°Wait, you helped me that whole time without knowing I could actually read any of it?¡± I asked Morslon. ¡°I have placed my life in your hands, but trusting you in this way comes as a surprise?¡± Well, that was a great point. ¡°Touche,¡± I said¡­ not knowing the Norvosian word. ¡°I mean, fair point.¡± ¡°So you were able to acquire these ¡®digital¡¯ copies from the libraries of the Mors?¡± It took me a moment to realize he used that word, which made sense I suppose. I had explained to him the difference between analog and digital but couldn¡¯t translate them. I nodded, ¡°This way I will have access to them wherever we go.¡± ¡°Incredible. How many did you obtain in this manner?¡± Morslon answered before I had the chance. ¡°Hundreds,¡± he said with pride, ¡°including maps and arcane tomes.¡± That revelation made Dorstark go completely bug eyed. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of those,¡± he mumbled. ¡°We will be organizing them into ¡®digital¡¯ folios, then I will make a single document for each book. There will be a reserve copy as well, just in case something happens.¡± He flopped into a chair at the table, speechless. Morslon sat next to him with a distinct look of satisfaction at being a part of such a momentous task. I admitted to myself that it was pretty great, but hadn¡¯t really thought of it from their perspective. Perhaps Morslon had an excellent poker face too, because he had not seemed so shocked when he saw what I was doing in the library. There had been a flood of questions and some excitement, but he wasn¡¯t floored. ¡°Morslon, is this why you asked to join my argenti?¡± My lone argenti member finished chewing, swallowed, and replied, ¡°In part. After hearing of the stories, I wanted to meet you anyway. Once I met you, it was clear that you would do great things. Then I saw your ¡®phone¡¯ and made up my mind after you explained what you had been doing.¡± He finished with a bit of a shrug, shoveling more food into his mouth. ¡°How long did it take you to copy an entire book?¡± ¡°Usually a quarter of an hour¡¯s candle or less,¡± Morslon said with a smirk. ¡°It takes days, sometimes more than a week, to copy a text. That may not include binding, rubrication, or illumination. I know these pictures of yours take mere instants.¡± I asked what the two words he said in Norvosian were that I didn¡¯t recognize, which he explained. I translated them to mean rubrication and illumination - tasks to dress up manuscripts with unique lettering and pretty pictures. I knew calligraphy, multiple hands, and various writing styles. I had no real experience writing an entire book by hand, which included these aspects of a scribe¡¯s skills and art.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I suppose I knew that, but had not really considered how much time we were saving. I was only thinking about having access to them after leaving Orya.¡± Dorstark shook his head in disbelief, ¡°It is bewildering that the Duke would allow you to do this at all¡­ But their maps and magics? I have never been afforded to the privilege of seeing them in any of my many trips there.¡± ¡°We struck a deal,¡± I said, sitting across from them at the table. ¡°A sort of information exchange where the Mors would have access to my future libraries.¡± Morslon and I ate quickly, but Dorstark seemed lost in thought. After I had finished and started to move back to the laptop, he cleared his throat and sat up. ¡°May I assist you in any way in this endeavor Sir Sully?¡± I was about to say yes but saw Morslon¡¯s eyes boring into me before shaking his head. ¡°Morslon? Why would you object on this? If we had one more person it would speed up the process.¡± He kept shaking his head, ¡°The agreement restricts you from sharing the information.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ well, shit.¡± Dorstark frowned slightly but fought against diminishing his refined demeanor. ¡°Is there any way around it though? Will I have to keep these copies only between the two of us forever? What if it is copied to a new manuscript?¡± I asked, rapidly firing off questions. Of course I remembered the deal we made, but there had to be something. ¡°What if I had a library and it needed to be maintained? The keeper of that library could never look in the books?¡± Morslon had opened and closed his mouth more than once before finally stopping my barrage. ¡°There are a couple ways, actually.¡± Dorstark and I both perked up, but said nothing. ¡°The Mors rarely approve outside access to their libraries, especially those of the magics and the maps.¡± He paused as if thinking about it more, probably just for effect. ¡°So, if you had been personally allowed to copy a manuscript it would share the same pact. Nor is anyone allowed to extend their invitation to others.¡± Again he paused, this time stroking his air beard and looking upward. ¡°However, argenti are generally granted access to the libraries under the same agreement.¡± ¡°Well, that does not help us at all.¡± I turned to Dorstark, who was already standing, ¡°I am sorry. But I can not risk breaking our arrangement. It seems rather serious and I would not want to anger the Mors.¡± ¡°Of course not. It would indeed be a grievous offense. And I should think no one in all of Norvos, and beyond, would like to find themselves enemies of the Mors.¡± ¡°Wait, that means you have been able to have access already though. Right?¡± ¡°It does,¡± Morslon contributed¡­ perhaps too smugly. ¡°Had I known, I would have taken advantage of the opportunity. I will leave you to your tasks.¡± Dorstark walked out without another word. It made sense in a way that he would not have pressed his privilege or even asked after his own desires if he viewed it as even slightly uncouth. Not knowing the specifics of how the Mors granted access was the largest obstacle however. I chastised Morslon slightly and warned him that his behavior was unbecoming from a member of my argenti. It was best to nip that right in the butt early on if I were going to be playing any sort of meaningful role in the upper crust of Norvos. He was young, full of piss and vinegar. Not unlike myself really. I knew all too well the feeling of getting an upper hand over someone, especially Dorstark. I felt bad as we went back to work. If he wanted to be part of this, I wanted to grant him that. It wasn¡¯t possible. With that in mind, I decided to start setting aside time for the two of us to work on my other big project during our journey - the runes quest. We could also work on magic, though that benefited me more than him. Everything I was doing right now benefitted me in some way. That thought bothered the hell out of me and stuck in my brain like gum in the hair I didn¡¯t have right now. I¡¯ve always been somewhat selfish. Never maliciously selfish, just focused on my own interests before those of others. Alright, that sounded exactly like what being selfish was. Not having received a series of windfalls before, I didn¡¯t know how to feel about the elevated status above others. Landing here I immediately gained some semblance of authority by proxy. Then I received gifts which set me further apart from the average person. ¡°I am done for the night,¡± I announced. I turned off the computer, which disconnected it from the tablet Morslon had been using. He ¡°harrumph¡¯ed¡± as I packed it all away. I was just frustrated, which wasn¡¯t fair to him. ¡°Apologies Morslon. I promise that I will show you something really great tomorrow night though,¡± I said, which seemed to cheer him up a bit. We crawled into our individual beds and let the darkness guide us toward unconsciousness. I slept fitfully. My dreams, or nightmares, actually grew worse over the course of the week as we travelled. During the waking hours I worked on runes with Dorstark on the road, then Morslon with the scriptorium quest in my tent before going to sleep. I dreaded going to sleep more each passing day, staying up longer each night. This day though we had both grown aggravated trying to work as we jostled and bumped along, riding much of the day in silence together. Tonight¡¯s imaginary horror show started no different than the others had. It began again with more of the marionette shenanigans. Empty visages cruelly controlling my every move. Then things slowly began to change. I became a puppet master lording over others. I toyed with them in the same manner, forcing them to flail about for a time for my amusement. Hanging off one crossbar, Morslon sat hunched at a desk. He toiled away, moving a single white pixel block at a time from one side of the desk to the other before moving them back. Dorstark stood in front of a black board, taut strings reaching from my hands toward him. His jaw flapped open and closed, out of time with his voice. My mentor shared knowledge with alacrity, as if it were his life¡¯s purpose. There was pleasure in his tone and posture. Slowly, eerily, his wooden head turned fully around. The new face was angry and full of resentment. Puppet Dorstark flipped the board to its other side with malice. His voice grew coarse, full of heat and sorrow. The stories he told were of petty tyrants and gods. Hateful creatures who controlled others to disgusting ends. Words came faster, to the point where I couldn¡¯t understand them. Strings grew tighter and twisted, fraying under the strained flurry of motions as the puppet gesticulated wildly. It had become a spiteful creature wearing a darkened mask of Dorstark¡¯s likeness, spitting sounds from different tongues. ¡°Sully!¡± I sat bolt upright and screamed, accidentally headbutting Morslon. ¡°Yeowch!¡± He howled as he held his forehead. ¡°You were tossing and turning in your sleep. Even yelled a couple times.¡± I groaned, holding my face. It felt like I had run face first into a tree. My eyes watered. So much pain. ¡°Gods,¡± he exclaimed. Pulling a hand away from my face, I looked at it through tear filled, blurry eyes. Sticky red goop covered my hand. It was a curious moment over a couple heartbeats as I tried to figure out why I was sweating blood from my face. People-shaped-blurs burst into the tent, pointy blurs pointed away from them. ¡°Lords, what is the trouble here?¡± ¡°Fetch a healer!¡± Morslon ordered. One blob bolted out of the tent as the other blob approached me while looking around for trouble. ¡°Where is the attacker?¡± ¡°No attacker, just an accident.¡± Though I couldn¡¯t see it, I could feel it in my soul that the guard was squinting at Morslon, considering his words. ¡°Lord Sully, is that true?¡± I nodded with both hands back on my face, holding it all together like a broken vase that got knocked over during a house party I shouldn¡¯t have been having while my parents were away in an effort to hang out with the cool kids and that one girl. What was her name? ¡°Ye,¡± I sort of gurgled weakly. ¡°Nop lorm,¡± I tried to inform him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I believe he means that he is not a lord,¡± Morslon provided. A few minutes later more multi-colored rorschach ink blots clamored into the large tent. I noted that it still wasn¡¯t close to being crowded with all our new jellyfish guests. Nespolan was the first to speak, ¡°Sully, what happened?¡± ¡°Ak-a-den,¡± I tried to enunciate. It sounded pretty good too, all things considered. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ak-a-den,¡± I reiterated, somewhat frustrated. ¡°He is not speaking Norvosian, but I believe he is trying to say accident in his native tongue.¡± Dorstark contributed. My heart immediately sank when I heard his voice, feeling guilty for the whole puppet thing. I wanted to apologize. ¡°Out of the way. Back up. Lay back,¡± I heard as a soft hand pushed me backward onto my bed. The new voice muttered a bit as I drifted off to a blissfully painless and dreamless sleep. ***** I awoke some time later in a larger carriage than my own. It was big enough that most people living in small inner city studio apartments might get jealous. ¡°What the fuck?¡± I inquired¡­ again, not in Norvosian. ¡°Errrrr¡­ What the forsaken?¡± ¡°You are awake. And you are speaking properly,¡± Dorstark said. ¡°That is good,¡± ¡°Please, do not use that term Sully,¡± Nespolan said before mouthing ¡®forsaken¡¯. ¡°Morslon told us what happened, short of a story as it was. You were made to sleep and healed.¡± ¡°But¡­ What? Ughh¡­¡± I slowly sat up, thanking the damnable gods that I could make it to an upright position without being smacked in the face with a shovel¡­ or throwing up. Though, the world was still a bit swimy. ¡°My stuff?¡± They explained that I had broken my nose when Morslon startled me awake. Everyone else had eaten breakfast while the group broke camp, as usual, and I was moved to the commander¡¯s carriage that he rarely ever used. He went so far as to apologize for its lavishness. They also assured me that all my belongings had been secured as well. My head cleared quite a bit as they brought me up to speed. ¡°I have not been sleeping well lately.¡± Nespolan nodded, ¡°Morslon told us of that also.¡± I explained the dreams and prophecies to them all, earnestly. It was more than a bit uncomfortable retelling my latest dream. I wasn¡¯t sure how Morslon felt, but I knew that Nespolan and Dorstark were at opposite ends of the spectrum in their views on the faiths - which I definitely did not bring up. The commander conveyed his belief that they were prophecies which I had given to the priests, and my gifts were likely to be viewed as holy relics or powerful artifacts. I couldn¡¯t help but internally bemoan the notion. He also attempted to console me that while he thought those to be real, he believed the nightmares to be of no consequence. ¡°They are just horrible dreams Sully,¡± Dorstark agreed. ¡°I know that, I think, but it does not change anything for my dreaming mind.¡± ¡°Where I am concerned, you should not feel as if you are taking advantage of or using me,¡± my mentor consented in a rather weirdly worded way, from my perspective. Again, most of me knew that too I think. That he consented, platonically. ¡°I would not be where I am in this world so far without your help,¡± I said with a heavy sigh. ¡°If I could repay you, I would¡­ and I am trying to do just that in a way.¡± ¡°I know this as well. It is part of why I was frustrated yesterday if I am being honest with myself, and you, about it,¡± my mentor intoned. He looked to Nespolan, who nodded, then to me again. ¡°I have conferred with High Commander Nespolan and have requested to be freed from my bonds, thus I am no longer a member of an argenti.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± I blurted. ¡°Why would you do that?¡± It just made no sense. Leave the argenti of one of the greatest men in all of Norvos. Who would choose to make such a foolish move? ¡°Are you leaving the caravan too or something?¡± I looked at everyone incredulously. Why would Nespolan even grant such a request? Morslon sat still and said nothing. Nespolan¡¯s smile conveyed warmth and sadness - none of which I understood. Dorstark just stared into my eyes for a time, platonically. ¡°I wish to pledge myself to you. If you would have me, I promise to serve you to the best of my abilities.¡± ¡°¡®Fucking, what¡¯?...¡± I blinked a few times, ¡°You want to join my argenti? Hold on¡­ You want to leave Nespolan¡¯s argenti to join mine? Is that even allowed?¡± Nespolan nodded, ¡°It is allowed, and he has my gracious blessing to do so. He has served me loyally for a long time, though I am certain he will be of greater service to you.¡± He thought for a moment more before adding, ¡°You will need him.¡± I was so dazed and confused. There were so many eye blinks happening that I probably looked like a flirting princess, batting her eyes at a gallant knight. ¡­ If that knight were both Nespolan and Dorstark. So, you know, wholly perplexed and platonically batting my eyes. Eventually the commander cleared his throat. ¡°You would be most unwise to decline this offer, Lord Sully.¡± He was right. I couldn¡¯t refuse Dorstark. If my subconscious mind had thought me a monster who had been using him, which he assured me I wasn¡¯t, and then I turned him away¡­ what sort of person would I be? Hesitating was only going to send all the wrong messages. I just went with it, ¡°I accept your pledge, High Magister Dorstark, and shall honor your service in my endeavors.¡± My mentor, and newest argenti member, exhaled a breath he had been holding. Smiling broadly he reached out and we clasped wrists, ¡°Thank you, Lord Sully.¡± Morslon produced an almost obnoxious ¡®ahem¡¯ and sat forward, ¡°Not to be obtuse High Commander and High Magister, but Sully is no Lord.¡± Realizing his statement was also a slight toward me he stammered, ¡°No¡­ no offense intended Sir Sully.¡± Nespolan and Dorstark looked at the young scholar, then at one another, then at me. ¡°I do not make such mistakes Morslon,¡± Dorstark sniffed. The commander shook his head, agreeing with him. ¡°No, he does not¡­ Not often anyway.¡± He snickered a bit and calmed himself. ¡°We have been talking for some time about it. That is, he has been advising me, as had Morstaal and many others. The remaining boon I shall grant will be titles and lands to accompany them.¡± Morslon chimed in with an, ¡®oooohhhhhh¡¯ sound, but that¡¯s it. Derrrrr¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± I swear it that my mind was forcing me to look around for cameras as if I were on a prank show. ¡°Lands and titles? For what?¡± ¡°Saving my life, of course.¡± ¡°But why that boon? You have already given me quite a lot.¡± ¡°Lord Sully, I must confess that my life is worth significantly more than anything I can bestow upon you.¡± ¡°Do not think me ungrateful, but why a lordship?¡± My brain¡¯s lightbulb flickered a bit as I processed this. ¡°And what title? Which lands? Hold on...¡± Too far forward, I needed to back it up and grasp the foundation of this before getting to that part. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We settled on two boons that seemed fitting and this is the only one I would actually give.¡± ¡°Two? What was the other?¡± Nespolan hesitated. ¡°Marriage.¡± ¡°To whom?¡± ¡°To me, of course. A life shared for a life saved.¡± ¡°Marriage? To you¡­¡± I mean, I was thoroughly confused and taken about twenty kilometers aback. ¡°But, you are...¡± Nespolan interrupted, ¡°Yes, I am the first sister to King Neskorin of Norvos, heiress of the Royal Nes family, and High Commander of Norvos,¡± she paused to sip her lale, ¡°So, you see the complications. Certainly you understand my predicament. I assure you it has nothing to do with you, Lord Sully. I simply have no intentions of ever marrying¡­ or mothering if I can help it.¡± Just¡­ wait¡­ fucking... what? My mouth opened and closed, but no words made it beyond the trainwreck upstairs. I sat there, dumbfounded. I went beyond clammed up princess and straight to a carbon copied caucasian woman¡­ I was stuck at the ¡®odd¡¯ setting... and could not ¡®even¡¯. Succinctly, my greymatter shattered. Chapter 10 ¡°But¡­,¡± I attempted to restart after my mental shutdown. ¡°But I thought you were¡­¡± ¡°A man?¡± Nespolan asked with the sharp click of her tongue to punctuate the rhetorical question. ¡°Too old,¡± had been my first thought. It wasn¡¯t the only thing going through my mind, but had been one of them. Absently my head moved up and down. ¡°High Commander Nespolan is, and has always been, a woman.¡± Suddenly I was glad they steered me away from calling her old. ¡°But¡­ I thought¡­ I mean, you said¡­¡± ¡°I do not make such mistakes Lord Sully,¡± Dorstark snorted. ¡°Not, he does not,¡± Nespolan agreed. I studied her face for a while. She looked younger than Morstaal by a few years, but had similarly weathered and scarred features. Not nearly the same tanned, leathery skin, though Nespolan led a hard life of battle and travel. Despite the masculine appearance, I could see some hint of femininity as well. Perhaps this too was all just my old world experiences tainting my perspective though. I had a fairly soft life and was usually surrounded by soft people. Why did it matter what her age is, what she looked like, or what genitals she had? Which, come to think of it, I actually had no idea whatsoever if their physiology precisely mirrored my own. Anatomy hadn¡¯t been a subject we covered and it wasn¡¯t one they studied to any great degree either. Why perform autopsies or study wounds when spells and potions can heal? Trying to think back on that, I hadn¡¯t seen anyone else naked. Some had seen me in my full birthday suit, so there¡¯s that. None of them had reacted shocked or anything, meaning that I didn¡¯t appear alien to them in any meaningful way. I even received baths frequently which elicited no odd responses. Although, they could just see me as a weird being from another world and everything about me was odd. My thoughts spiraled further and further away from the challenging concept of Nespolan being a woman. There were female guards, clergy, and mages. Why not the highest ranking general too? How had I so thoroughly misunderstood that singularly fundamental fact? I tried to think back on it for a bit to figure it out, beyond my own obvious misconceptions from her physical appearance of course. ¡°His and hers!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°He and she¡­ they sound so similar. Have I really been botching that the entire time?¡± It made me think of ¡®nipote¡¯ in Italian, which meant niece, nephew, granddaughter, grandson, and grandchild - all in a single word. Other languages had similar sounding words for different things, and I had not mastered Norvosian. Pronouns hadn¡¯t exactly seemed important to them either. I was just applying my life experiences to their world. To my new world. Nespolan shrugged and Dorstark smiled, knowingly. The old cretin had known all along that I was making that mistake, hadn''t he?! ¡°Months of setup for a single punchline?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but to glower at him. Oh, he would pay for this one. I¡¯d have to come up with something really good. ¡°I apologize for any offense Nespolan.¡± ¡°Not necessary. Though being considered a man is moderately insulting. At least you had not commented on my age,¡± she jested, ¡°I know that you had meant no harm and were simply confused. It happens more than you would think and it never ceases to entertain me.¡± Now I really wanted to know¡­ ¡°Is it rude to ask about one¡¯s age?¡± Nespolan and Dorstark both nodded. Morslon rolled his eyes. I nodded graciously. Looking between them again I had to inquire, ¡°Why wait until now to correct me though?¡± Hopefully that would put the punk on the spot and force him to fess up. They looked at each other and shared a laugh, at my expense. ¡°To be honest¡­ The longer the person has been mistaken, the better their reaction,¡± she said, telling me with no uncertainty that they both were in on it. I also was not the only butt of their jokes! ¡°Do you remember Duke Sativo¡¯s reaction? It took him years before he figured it out,¡± Dorstark mocked. ¡°Best reaction I have seen, though yours is a close second, Sully. Certainly the best in such a short time to cook.¡± Nespolan I could let slide because she is a royal. Maybe. Unless a good enough opportunity presented itself. Dorstark though? Oh, I¡¯d get him good. One day, when he least expected it. Sighing in a way that only one so soundly defeated could, I wanted to get this humiliation and embarrassment behind me. ¡°So, just like that - I am a lord?¡± ¡°After a fashion, yes. Nespolan declares it so and so it is.¡± That was definitely more power than I thought she wielded, aside from the might of the Norvosian military of course. ¡°Well, yes and no,¡± she added. ¡°You are a noble because I can declare as much on my own. It is the King who must grant you lands and titles, which he will do shortly after we arrive.¡± ¡°Oh. You don¡¯t know what lands or title I will be granted then, do you?¡± ¡°I have some ideas as to where he may choose and which titles he would grant. Though I can not say for certain, he will also heed my counsel on the matter.¡± We spoke little more about the boon, instead moving on to discuss our first significant stop along the trip back. There were a few villages and one city along the road connecting Orya to Videm. So far we had passed a couple waystations and outposts, but they were all fairly small. ¡®Hilltop¡¯ was how I translated the town¡¯s name, Korolm. ¡®Kor¡¯ meaning above or atop and ¡®olm¡¯ meaning hill. It was an apt enough name as the forests gave way to rolling hills, slowing travel with the elevation changes or winding of the road. Sometimes we would slip around the base of a hill in the valleys between them, other times we went over them. As we crested yet another hill I finally caught sight of the walls before we had stopped for our midday meal. We would push on to reach it well after nightfall. Of course, that meant little for me riding along, but I felt bad for the countless men and women on foot. Small plots of farmland were nestled in valleys between hills as we approached, almost tucked away. Farm hands stopped to watch the endless columns march by, slowly surrounding Korolm¡¯s simple wooden palisades. Our section stopped outside the southern gate. Morslon approached after we stopped, ¡°If you would like, we could stay at one of the two inns, the house owned by my family, or in the baron¡¯s manor.¡± Dorstark and I had continued to work on Magic 101 during the extra hours on the road, still trying to get the fundamentals down. I looked at him, receiving nothing but a tired shrug. ¡°The Mors have a presence in Korolm?¡± ¡°We own businesses in most of this region, many of which are operated by lower ranked members of the family - distant cousins and the like. Though I am technically no longer an heir in any line of the Mors, it is unlikely that any would turn us away.¡± I cocked my head, ¡°What do you mean that you¡¯re no longer an heir? I thought you were still a noble.¡± ¡°I am, though when a noble joins an argenti they often give up their rights of inheritance, direct access to family assets, and things like that.¡± ¡°You gave up everything you own to follow me? You are in the same position as Dorstark then?¡± He looked to my mentor and shrugged, ¡°Not exactly. Unlike him, I can still have personal possessions. I just do not own much of anything right now.¡± ¡°Your own belongings go back to your family when you pledged yourself to me too?¡± ¡°It would have all gone to you or back to the family. Being that we are Mors, it all went to Morstaal to do with as he sees fit.¡± When we get to Videm, I need to get some books on argenti. As I was all too often reminded, I knew next to nothing about my new world. ¡°It is too late for us to bother the Baron or your family. We could get a room or just stay in our tents again.¡± Since joining team Sully, Dorstark had begun setting up his tent adjacent to mine. Given my proclivity for not being a quiet or heavy sleeper right now, they both chose to share that tent. ¡°The decision is yours to make Lord Sully,¡± Dorstark said. ¡°You do outrank the Baron and whatever relatives I have here.¡± Is that really how the noble hierarchy worked? Pulling rank didn¡¯t seem like the best way to make an introduction if it could be avoided, so that cemented my decision against those options. Going to an inn didn¡¯t seem like a great option at first, then I thought of how great it would be to bathe in something other than a frigid river. As unpleasant as that single experience had been on the trip thus far, I would do it again if given the opportunity. ¡°Rooms at the inn so we can bathe.¡± Morslon perked right up, ¡°Excellent idea Lord Sully.¡± We had the carriage drop us off inside the town at an inn Morslon suggested, being the better of the two. I went in and paid for the last two rooms in the establishment as luck would have it. Servants carried everything up to our rooms while we ate a late dinner. We could have opted for cold water and a tub in our rooms, but this inn had an attached bath house. Despite the added expenses, everything had cost only a few silver so far. Dorstark informed me that the prices were inflated too given the high demand from our caravan. Not wanting to leave all of our belongings unattended, I asked Dorstark to watch over our rooms until we finished. Then he would have his turn in the bath house. So, as it turns out, there are no apparent reproductive differences between this human species of my new world and the humans of the old world. Externally at least. There wasn''t exactly a quest to be filled for it, but now I knew something I hadn¡¯t before. Yay for learning! Not that I was ogling. They were just there and naked as the day they were born. Some male and some female; co-ed bathing was new to me as well. I tried really hard not to stare. The ceiling is nice. More than a dozen of us, together, in a not-huge pool of water. All of them are typical Norvosian heights, which is more awkward than just being naked if I¡¯m being honest. My shoulders are higher than the head of the next tallest among those present. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Most of them looked at me more than once, turning away if we made eye contact. The mix of signals I was picking up were all over the place - curiosity mostly, but also some obvious disdain. Trying to strike up a conversation proved to be a terrible idea when I was quickly hushed. It seems that silence was preferred while relaxing. I tried to enjoy it. After the more conspicuous glares lingered too long, my enjoyment dwindled. I left before Morslon just to be away from the looks of the others. One day I would probably have to put up with court politics, but it did not feel like this was that day. The room was much smaller than my tent, which I surprisingly missed. Though I rarely slept through a full night peacefully, the anxiety of being surrounded by unknown people had passed. Until now. It returned in full force as I laid in bed, not surrounded by people. Even the bed was terrible by comparison to the one in my tent. It was itchy and scratchy. The thought of so many others sleeping on it didn¡¯t help at all. Lumps and something poking me made it even more hard to actually fall asleep, nothing at all like the princess and the pea. Her story had nothing on this miserable experience. At some point exhaustion, and ten milligrams of melatonin, won the battle versus discomfort. The tossing and turning due to the terrible bed and new environment woke me up more than my nightmares normally would have. Every time I got up, I checked to ensure the door was locked. A couple times I got up to check more than once too. It occurred to me that I could lay my camping mat on top of the bed and my sleep system on top of that, which I did. Unconsciousness came a bit easier with the change, thank the gods who left me alone. It was still dark when I sat up in my bed suddenly. Heartbeats passed as my thoughts sailed through the fog, trying to figure out why I woke up this time. Again. For the damn millionth time tonight. But this was different. ¡°...heard something. I think he is up boss,¡± someone tried to whisper from across the room. ¡°You ox, he is now if he was not,¡± replied a hushed woman¡¯s voice. My heart raced as I strained to see who it was. They weren¡¯t voices I recognized, so that was probably a bad sign. ¡°That means we have to kill him, right?¡± The ox¡¯s whisper was a bit over eager for my liking. I reached for the weapon I kept next to my bed, thankful for my apparently well warranted paranoia and foresight. There were two of them and one of me though. And they wanted me dead. ¡°Just make it quick and help me load up,¡± the boss woman quietly ordered. ¡°They want everything we can get.¡± ¡°Yeah Dokmir,¡± A third voice entered the chat, ¡°Especially the¡­¡± The sound of a sharp smack had cut him off, ¡°Forsaken moron,¡± she rebuked. They weren''t as quiet now which sent my wholly ordinary danger senses to tingling. I gripped the sword with both hands, wishing I had grabbed the gun under my pillow. ¡®Oof,¡¯ the ox yelped when he hit the bed. I swung the sword in that direction. The keen blade met little resistance at first, sinking deep into the assailant¡¯s meaty body¡­ somewhere. Then it came to a sudden stop and pulled out of my hands. Ox choked out a wet scream, then fell onto my bed. On my legs. With my sword embedded in him. ¡°Fucking, fuck fuck,¡± I thought eloquently in an entirely rational manner, given the situation. I started to lay backward and twist to reach under my pillow. A globe of light appeared in the middle of the room above the remaining two. It wasn¡¯t as bright as daylight, but it was enough to daze each of us. I fared better than they did, having turned away from the door. ¡°Fool,¡± she hissed. The distraction bought me enough time to grab my pistol, flick off the safety, and turn back to point the shooty end at them. The woman stood there shielding her eyes with an arm and white knuckling a sword in the other hand. Slightly behind her stood a skinny man with a gaunt face and broken smile. His hands moved around in circles, waxing on and off in the air. Dorstark¡¯s display on my balcony came to mind the beat before I squeezed the trigger once. Twice. Thrice. Rounds erupted from the barrel and tore through the caster. He barely remained on his feet, stumbling back. I fired two more times before turning to the woman as her own shock wore off. The blade was held high in the air above her as she charged, howling. I shot her before she made it two steps. I didn¡¯t stop. *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* Taking in the carnage, the empty gun fell to the floor from my limp hands. The heavy set man lay on the bed, rolled to his side from where I kicked him off me. My sword still protruded from his chest, hilt toward me. It looked like I had stabbed him through the middle of his ribcage, beneath his heart. I could see where the sword sliced through his side before coming to a stop in his spine. His dead eyes blankly stared in my direction. There was blood everywhere. Splattered on the walls, pooling on the floor, and soaking into the bed. My legs were covered in it and the metallic tang in the air hit my nostrils. I gagged. I dry heaved. My dinner made a cameo appearance all over the bed and the corpse. The door exploded inward, showering me in a few chunks of wood. Morslon stood in the opening mouth agape with Dorstark immediately behind him. ¡°Lord Sully!¡± Dorstark rushed in and looked around. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ Killed them all.¡± ¡°Yes, I see that. Fine work my lord.¡± ¡°Thank the favored gods,¡± Morslon said, shaking in the doorway. My mentor looked over his shoulder, ¡°Morslon, inform Nespolan directly.¡± The younger man began to run off as Dorstark shouted, ¡°And the town guard.¡± He surveyed the scene a bit more in depth before realizing the room was being bathed in magic light. ¡°Did you cast this?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Alright then, is there anything I should know before the others arrive?¡± He said in a low tone as he neared the bed. The hall filled with other guests trying to get a peek inside to see what happened. Dorstark walked to the hall and tried to clear them away with a steely gaze, which didn¡¯t quite work. When flames began dancing around his hands everyone backed off, deciding they needed to be somewhere else. Absently, I dwelt on the fact that it was only the second time I¡¯ve seen him cast any sort of fire magic. For someone whose specialty was that exact area of magic, he didn¡¯t use it much. Nor did we talk about it often, with him going so far as to shut a conversation down if I prodded too much in that direction. My thoughts veered toward his pyrotechnic display that day. The heat. The concussions. ¡°Sixteen times¡­¡± He extinguished his hands now that the hall was free of lookiloos, ¡°What?¡± ¡°I shot them... sixteen times.¡± Dorstark walked back in, squatted next to the boss woman¡¯s corpse, and looked at her. He looked up at me and then around the room frantically, ¡°Where is it?¡± He stepped over the bodies and looked around me on the bed, then to the floor, then under the bed. I heard it being dragged. The gun was then hidden away in the folds of his robes as boots pounded down the hall. They were commanded to stop outside the room, out of sight from me, as Dorstark addressed them. Their voices weren¡¯t quiet. He explained to them that I had been attacked, but needed to be cleaned and rested before entertaining an audience - investigation or not. They balked at first until he raised his voice, declaring who I was and my accolades as if he were a courtly herald. ¡°This is Lord Sully the Demon Slayer, champion of the favored gods, savior of the High Commander, beloved friend and honored guest of His Royal Highness, King Neskorin. You will allow him to refresh himself after this battle.¡± The announcement seemed as much for them as it was for me¡­ and somehow for the others staying at the inn as well. It was just too loud and well out of the norm for him. It helped. This wouldn¡¯t be a good look and rumors would likely spread. I hopped off the bed and grabbed a canteen. I swished and spit onto the bed before walking out of the room to follow Dorstark to theirs, head held high. In my sleep wear¡­ a nightgown. He closed the door behind me, leaving me alone in their room. Bloody footprints marked my path from the door, then round and round in circles as I paced. A tub and change of clothes he selected were brought in, then bucket after bucket of water. I just stood there waiting for it to be filled. Once it was, I got in and cleaned up. The frigid water was refreshing. That finished, I walked out of the room fully dressed - boots, robes, and minotaur leather cape. The captain of the guard awaited me in the gory room, bowing as I entered. ¡°Lord Sully, please accept our utmost apologies for allowing this transgression within our humble village.¡± ¡°Allowing?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Nay, my lord. Not directly.¡± He looked nervously to Dorstark before looking back. ¡°It is¡­ I mean, it happened in our town and we accept responsibility for not keeping the peace.¡± My mentor almost imperceptibly shook his head at me, silently telling me to calm myself and tone it down. He had read me like a book and was probably right. The regal feeling was intoxicating in this moment after so much adrenaline, excitement, and horror. I felt comforted hiding in it. ¡°Of course...¡± ¡°If I may, Lord Sully? I believe we should wait for High Commander Nespolan before proceeding with any conversation.¡± The high mage plowed the statement through without hesitation. I nodded, because Dorstark typically knew best. Minutes passed before the sound of more boots came up the stairs and down the hall. ¡°Out of my way,¡± Nespolan barked. He pushed his way into the room, eyebrows raised in admiration as he took in the scene. ¡°Sully, are you harmed?¡± I shook my head, ¡°I am fine¡­ but you should see the other guys.¡± As the words left my mouth I was regretting them. Nervously joking while surrounded by the corpses of my enemies should not become normal behavior¡­ Actually, I would prefer to not be standing among corpses at all if I could avoid it. ¡°I do see them,¡± she said. ¡°Is this your doing?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± The guard captain stepped up to hear the story as well. Morslon and a bunch of guards remained in the hallway, obviously listening in. It was a short story. I left out the fact that I used a piece of modern weaponry from my old world to kill them. Instead, I told them about chopping into the first guy. Then simply said I slayed the other two without going into detail. She rolled the scrawny guy over to examine him. Apparently I had shot him at least once in the head, leaving a gnarly exit wound. The captain looked between the damaged head and me a couple times. He walked over to the larger man¡¯s body and looked him over, stopping to admire the sword. ¡°They called this one Dokmir,¡± I said. ¡°Captain, do you require any further information?¡± ¡°That will be sufficient High Commander.¡± He turned to me, ¡°Again, you have our sincerest apologies Lord Sully. By the will of the gods you are a significant champion and proved able to cast down evil this night, single handedly.¡± ¡°Give us an hour and you may dispose of these Captain.¡± He pounded his fist to the opposite shoulder in salute, then turned to bow deeply to me before leaving. Dorstark asked me to take pictures of their faces, which I begrudgingly relented to. Having dead people pics on my phone was not something I wanted. Nespolan ordered their bodies to be searched by his guard, who had absolutely no qualms about rooting around the filth. After she looked it all over, everything was placed in a large canvas sack and handed to Dorstark. A few rings, some coins, and their gear was the bulk of it. There was a single piece of parchment which had a drawing of my grimoire with some words sloppily scrawled along the bottom - sword, cloak, and backpack. Numbly I thought, ¡°My grimoire¡­¡± She ordered her guard to investigate the matter and commanded one to work alongside the town¡¯s guard captain. ¡°Whomever arranged this knew what they were looking for,¡± she said. ¡°I do not think they were common rogues. This one could use magic.¡± I gestured to the gaunt guy and then up at the ball of light that still hovered in place. The elder mage walked over and pulled up his sleeves. ¡°He was not instructed by the Resolute.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Lifting his sleeve, he revealed the Resolute¡¯s symbol branded on the inside of his forearm. ¡°Anyone who learns so much as a single spell at the colleges is marked.¡± He nodded to Morslon who revealed his. ¡°I thought it was not illegal to use magic outside your organization though?¡± ¡°It is dangerous and frowned upon, but nobles do so all the time. Where this one could have learned is anyone¡¯s guess. I would say he¡¯s a road caster though.¡± ¡°Road caster?¡± ¡°RoadCaster, an unbound magic wielder who spends their life traveling from one place to another. They find themselves attached to unsavory groups with promises of more power, unfounded and impossible as they often prove to be.¡± The two words for ¡®road¡¯ and ¡®caster¡¯ were said together to form the word ¡®rocast¡¯, like ¡®hill¡¯ and ¡®top¡¯ for Korolm. He went on to say that they were often hunted down and imprisoned, or killed. Not because it was illegal to practice magic, but because they were typically criminals. And nobles weren¡¯t¡­ ¡°What about faking the brand? It does not appear complicated.¡± ¡°The Resolute mark is no simple brand. Every one of us is capable of discerning a true mark from a forgery.¡± ¡°One of the first things we are taught actually,¡± Morslon added, wanting to be helpful. We talked more about the mark and RoadMages for a few minutes, standing in my room. ¡°Can we go downstairs or something? Actually, can we have someone to move my belongings back to the carriage? Guarded?¡± Nespolan ordered the last of her guards to stand watch over my room and for another to fetch servants to move everything. I did take the time to remove the sword, with some effort, and clean it. My gun was returned and holstered as well after I loaded another full magazine, chambering a round for good measure. They watched me as I did this, Morslon being the only one unaware that the gun was a weapon. I was never a hard person. I¡¯ve been to the range a hundred times, but never shot at a living creature before now. Tonight¡­ when I killed people. Still I wouldn¡¯t describe myself as a seasoned combatant. I didn¡¯t want to be alone and couldn¡¯t see myself going back to sleep. The four of us spoke over some not bad warm ale for a while until our conversation wound down. The other three returned to bed, leaving me with a pair of Nespolan¡¯s personal guards and my thoughts. Chapter 11 The light of day crept in ever so slowly, unnoticed. Patrons flowed in for breakfast, officially announcing the arrival of morning. Despite the long hours of doing precisely nothing but pacing, Nespolan¡¯s guards remained vigilant throughout the evening. I ordered four servings of food, two for me and one each for them, which finally brought them to rest at the table. Their eyes scanned the area as we ate. Up until now I had not taken note of their sense of duty and incredible discipline. I focused back on my food to finish eating as they inhaled their single serving faster than I had gotten through either of mine. The guards stood, snapped to attention, and saluted with crisp precision. Nespolan entered the room, returning their salute, trailing a small entourage and my argenti. My friends took seats at the table. They were, weren¡¯t they? ¡°My friends¡­¡± I had not thought of them as such until now. The attack had been resolved alone, but they each rushed to my aid. I smiled fondly at the group. ¡°Good morning.¡± We exchanged pleasantries and I debriefed them on all that had happened after they left. I had finished more than a dozen drinks and pondered the universe along with my place in it. What I didn¡¯t tell them about was how I wanted to finally write up a character sheet so I could track my experience, skills, and that sort of thing. ¡°Korolm¡¯s guard captain and the baron poured through their records, finding no resident named Dokmir,¡± she said. ¡°They were also not staying at either inn and had not been seen before the incident.¡± ¡°Morslon and I roused every caravan leader, pack master, and quartermaster in the entire march. We will have their registers and any other information before long.¡± ¡°My Marshal is going over our duty logs, rosters, and reports.¡± Nespolan put her hand on my shoulder, ¡°We will figure this out, Sully. Together.¡± ¡°I appreciate all of your efforts. This morning has given me quite a bit of time to think about¡­¡± I said, stopping myself from gesturing broadly, ¡°everything. It appears that I need to take my own safety more seriously.¡± Whether it had been paranoia or caution had been part of the debate with me, myself, and I. We settled on the sensibility of caution because it was not paranoia if someone really was out to get us¡­ Out to get me. I could still hire guards and attendants. That brought the problem of vetting them as I couldn¡¯t readily trust any random sellsword. Unfortunately, I had only one workable solution. ¡°Nespolan, are you willing to assign a guard detail until such a time as I am able to handle my own affairs?¡± The three of them looked at one another, Dorstark sighing in relief, ¡°We were worried you would decline such an offer, Lord Sully.¡± ¡°It is true. That discussion happened after we left,¡± she agreed. ¡°I do not want to force you to accept more direct protection and do not want you to feel that you are not free.¡± ¡°I appreciate the consideration, but I need safety more than freedom right now even if that were not the case.¡± ¡°In that case, you will have a permanent detail of one hundred to¡­¡± ¡°A hundred? Do I really need that many?¡± She cleared her throat, unaccustomed to interruptions. ¡°... One hundred to command, chosen from among our best. They will set a guard rotation for both yourself and your¡­ personal effects. But they are yours to command, Lord Sully.¡± ¡°That seems like a lot.¡± ¡°It will be adequate and should not be cumbersome,¡± Dorstark replied. Morslon added, ¡°Most nobles maintain at least a small guard detail at all times. Traveling with ten or more is fairly typical. Duke Morstaal would not take to the roads with less than that many; rare as his travels inland are.¡± ¡°You are a priceless treasure, Sully. And, as you have informed us, much of what you have is irreplaceable.¡± Nespolan thought for a moment, ¡°Though the gods brought you to me, that cannot be inferred as their desire to watch over you.¡± I tried my damndest not to think too much about any part of what she just said, only taking in her concern. ¡°Alright, how will this work?¡± ¡°One of my officers is handling the selection of your unit. I will handle the field transfer, then we will officiate it in Videm.¡± ¡°Wait, this is a permanent change?¡± Nespolan nodded, ¡°Of course. You are now a lord and will need forces to secure your lands eventually.¡± ¡°Is it typical for the kingdom to provide forces to lords?¡± ¡°Lords usually have their own troops which they use to conquer or hold their lands,¡± Dorstark said. ¡°If needed, they may be supplemented from the king¡¯s armies.¡± ¡°It is in the best interest of the kingdom to ensure you are sufficiently empowered to succeed. Especially if my brother grants you lands along our borders, which I suspect he will.¡± That was an entirely different line of discussion I hadn¡¯t expected. The idea of city building has a certain appeal. Yet the concept is incredibly daunting considering the decidedly not game-like reality of this world. Being sent out to some new frontier could also be a mixed bag. ¡°Alright, all that seems like it will be well down the road. What do we do now?¡± ¡°We wait. Not much else we can do until the delegated tasks are completed,¡± she said. It wasn¡¯t long until the first of them arrived. Two officers arrived together, snapped to attention, and saluted. Military rankings had come up in my studies. I could tell that one of them was a mid-ranked officer and the other was a lower ranked officer. My translations for those were equivalent to a captain and lieutenant. ¡°Lieutenant Volk, reporting as ordered.¡± ¡°Stand at ease,¡± she ordered. ¡°Lieutenant, I am sure you have already been briefed on this. To reaffirm your orders, you are hereby being assigned to Lord Sully and will follow his commands as if they were my own.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Any questions?¡± ¡°None sir.¡± ¡°Sully? Do you have anything you wish to add presently?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Dorstark?¡± ¡°Please have the new unit assembled for Sully¡¯s review near our camp. We will be there shortly.¡± Volk looked to me for confirmation, so I nodded. It sounded like a good plan to me anyway. We shared another round of ale before heading out. Knowing where they had set up camp this morning, we followed Dorstark. Tents stood in orderly rows with multiple layers surrounding my own. There were now three large tents instead of two. The new addition is an operational tent for Volk, standing next to his smaller personal tent. The formation stood tall, ready for inspection. As tall as they could with their average height of a hundred and sixty centimeters. In spite of their short stature, each of them appeared fierce. There were four rows with five soldiers each, and five total units. Comprising individuals from numerous groups, their gear was mixed but showed a consistently high quality. ¡°Impressive,¡± I said with an approving nod. After a closer look, the group had both men and women among the ranks. ¡°Thank you my lord. We are glad to hear you are pleased,¡± Volk said. ¡°Have you already set a schedule?¡± ¡°Yes my lord. You will have four of our number accompanying you at all times. Another rotation will patrol our area of the camp and stand watch over your¡­ supplies.¡± I looked over the group again, deciding it may serve everyone to address them all as one to get it out of the way now. ¡°I am Sully Indigo Romano, your new¡­¡± I stopped, already at a loss. Public speaking and lording weren¡¯t exactly something I have experience with.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Volk leaned in, whispering, ¡°Lord Commander.¡± ¡°Lord Commander. As we travel I will do my best to speak with all of you, but I first need to clear the air. Someone please step forward and tell me what you have heard of me.¡± Three heartbeats later a woman two two steps out from her position at the head of the first squad. ¡°Sergeant Katru,¡± Volk told me. I repeated her name in my head a dozen times to drill it in. ¡°My lord, I may only speak to what I have heard. You arrived by the will of the god Kuriy to be his champion. In the first of your grand acts you vanquished a great demon with a single blow, saving High Commander Nespolan and his argenti. Aside from your many mysterious and powerful abilities, you possess a trove of unique, mystical artifacts from your distant home lands.¡± Katru paused, breaking her bearing to meet my eyes. ¡°I am confident in speaking for all of us to say that we are honored to serve you, Lord Commander.¡± The silence that followed was unexpected, by me at least. Given her epic speech I had expected a loud cheer or¡­ something. I was moved, so to hell with everyone else. Cheering after awesome speeches will be one of many changes to come. Hearing about myself in such an aggrandized manner is odd. While it is all remarkably flattering, much of it didn¡¯t sit well with me. Perhaps I could at least shut down the idea that I was a deific pawn. That entire idea grated my nerves. ¡°My lord, it would be best that you not dispel any rumors unless they are overly negative,¡± Dorstark said in a barely audible whisper, inches from my ear. If I didn¡¯t know better I might suspect he has telepathic abilities. I had even asked him multiple times, which he denied. Big sigh. ¡°That about covers it, actually. Thank you Sergeant Katru.¡± I wanted to say more. Not knowing what else to say, I turned to walk toward the command tent. ¡°You may dismiss them lieutenant.¡± We waited in the command tent talking about nothing important until the reports finally began arriving. The Marshal, town guard, pack masters, and quartermasters all arrived empty handed. Some claimed there were sightings of people who matched the descriptions of the would-be thieves, but none of it actually helped. The most interesting of those reports was of the boss woman having entered the larger vicinity we camped in, among the nobles and other supposedly ¡®very important people¡¯. That could mean she was meeting with someone we travelled with. It could also mean that she was attempting to scout my tent. Most of the caravaneers also had nothing to report until finally one entered the tent with information we could work with. Dokmir had been part of a group of six people that were supposed to travel with the caravan to Videm. He also had word that the remaining three people cleared out their tents and left during the night, heading into the woods. It wasn¡¯t much of a lead, but more than we had. I couldn¡¯t help but be eager to find out who wanted to steal my grimoire. ¡°We should try to follow them then, right?¡± ¡°There may not be tracks we can follow, but I will send scouts out immediately,¡± Nespolan said. ¡°Why not send a larger force? It is not like we lack the numbers.¡± ¡°Information is important Sully. Right now we have precious little.¡± ¡°I suppose we could take my personal guard and follow behind the scouts then.¡± The assembled group looked at one another in turn. ¡°You can not go with them. It will be dangerous.¡± I scoffed, ¡°I am not allowed to go? Should I remain here in camp or in a protective bubble forever?¡± ¡°If only we had such a protective bubble, Lord Sully.¡± Volk immediately looked abashed under my glare. ¡°I believe that High Commander Nespolan and Lieutenant Volk are saying that it would be unwise to put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation unnecessarily,¡± Dorstark said in an attempt to console me. ¡°Then I am free to go if I so choose?¡± ¡°Dorstark has the right of it. You are no prisoner and may do as you wish, Sully. I would prefer that you remain here in camp and let those who are well trained in skills specifically suited for this task,¡± she said. ¡°If I may do as I wish, then I will be going on this mission to find these three ass holes.¡± I wished I could just say ¡®assholes¡¯ anyway. In Norvosian it was closer to ¡®butt openings¡¯ because the words for butt and hole just didn¡¯t roll off the tongue. ¡°As it is Lord Sully¡¯s decision to make, I agree with and offer to join you,¡± Morslon chimed in. ¡°Of course, I will accompany you if you would like as well. However I must protest this course of action,¡± my mentor said with a sigh. Having Dorstark along would be excellent and maybe I would get to see some badass fire magic. For real this time, not just a small show for my benefit, but actual destructive power. I looked into Nespolan¡¯s eyes, trying to put together why I was being resisted. She called me a ¡®treasure¡¯ earlier, which I didn¡¯t like at all. ¡°Well, as I am not a caged bird, I will be going. Volk, ready a unit to accompany me.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Commander.¡± The officer¡­ My officer saluted and left to carry out my order. ¡°The scouts will be ready for us to follow out soon then.¡± Her eyes showed equal parts pride and fear, if I read them right. There wasn¡¯t anything else for me to prepare, so I waited for the others to gear up. Dorstark returned first having only grabbed a short staff, spear thing. A fancy flame carving sat at the top of the staff and the bottom looked like a spearhead. It was pretty cool actually. Morslon returned wearing a sword on his side and a ringed leather gambeson that could have fit in at a bondage club. It was absolutely covered with leather straps woven through large metal rings, giving it the appearance that the entire piece of gear was made of buckles. I stifled a laugh¡­ a buckle chuckle. Correction, I tried to keep myself from losing it, and failed. Nespolan, Volk, and forty others arrived. ¡°Why so many?¡± ¡°Your twenty plus twenty of my scouts.¡± ¡°Seems excessive,¡± I said. I only intended to bring five or ten of mine, but I suppose a unit meant twenty. ¡°If five soldiers are sufficient for a fight, twenty will be more than sufficient.¡± Couldn¡¯t argue with that sound logic. Scouts were sent out as we entered the forest. They surrounded us on all sides somewhere beyond where I could see them. The only ones that remained closer were those trailing us, presumably to ensure that our quarry of three people didn¡¯t flank us. We made slow progress through the dense foliage. Every now and then I spotted one of the forward scouts closer to us, about fifty meters out. They were remarkably stealthy. Volk quietly explained that beyond them were more distant scouts. Hours passed as we made our way deeper into the wilderness. The scouts managed to sneak through the woods without disturbing many animals, while our larger group may as well have drums for all the noise we made. Frankly, it was boring. The hot adrenaline and excitement I felt before setting out now smoldered to a cooled frustration. I was nearing a point where I wanted to whine about it when a pair of scouts returned. They encountered and dispatched another scout. What this meant, as I was being informed, was our targets were likely part of another group and we were getting close. Thankfully. More time passed when one of the scouts returned again to inform us that they found a camp of roughly two dozen people. There were no defenses and all their scouts had already been killed, so we should be able to surprise them. Nespolan and Volk conferred, deciding to surround the camp to ensure they could not escape. If they had all been on foot it wouldn¡¯t be a big threat, but there were ten horses in the camp. Four of my troops, my argenti, Nespolan, and Volk all remained near me as the others fanned out to encircle them. Once in place the order was given. My guards and Dorstark held me from charging forward with the others. I cursed up a storm, mostly not in Norvosian. Arrows flew into the unsuspecting camp killing nearly twenty before my unit arrived. The entire chaos of the encounter lasted less than a minute. Significantly outnumbered, the group was forced to submit or die. Some chose the latter regardless. It was a brief slaughter, not a fight. Only after the all clear from Nespolan and Volk did we join them. I was more calm about it now. I didn¡¯t know how to properly wield a sword and would have only had my gun to rely on. They were right and I knew it. Not that it meant I was happy about it. Fourteen of them were forced to their knees and bound. The scout¡¯s estimate had been off by quite a bit as he hadn¡¯t gotten close enough to get a better count. I wanted to come out here half cocked, with no plan, and few troops. Were I allowed to make that mistake it may not have been one I could have learned from. The dead learn nothing further and can¡¯t go back to fix their fuck ups. Fortunately, I¡¯m not dead and I will not forget this lesson any time soon. ¡°My lords,¡± a scout said with a sharp salute, ¡°their trail runs parallel to the road, back toward Oyra. We could follow it back, but a group this size has likely been travelling outside our ranging efforts since we first began the march.¡± ¡°That would be more concerning if we had not dealt with them here and now,¡± Volk said with a gesture dismissing the scout. ¡°We need to search their camp and will interrogate the captives when we get back,¡± Nespolan said. ¡°I would prefer if we safely return before dark.¡± With military efficiency the entire camp was ransacked and broken down. Every piece of gear was packed up and loaded onto the horses. I wanted to sort through everything out here in hopes of finding clues. She was right though, again. Damnit. Our prisoners were gagged and tied to one another, marching between two columns of soldiers. They looked broken, as if we were marching them toward a volcano to appease the gods of their enemies. Some sobbed into their gags. Others steadily put one foot in front of the other in silent resignation. I knew that Norvos didn¡¯t keep slaves. Imprisonment certainly wouldn¡¯t be pleasant. Could it be that bad though? Laws and justice needed to be added to my reading list. We arrived back at our camp before dusk and unloaded the pack horses. My argenti and I began the task of sorting through everything while the captives were questioned¡­ intensely. Their intermittent screams made my stomach turn. Travelling gear, supplies, and personal effects would help over the long-term I suppose. All of that chaff was sent to my quartermaster, which I now had within my small personal army. What remained was more interesting. Dozens of coin pouches were combined to a pile along with any other jewelry and other valuables. Two chests of coins and gems were set aside as well. Morslon approached with two books, which he held out with a strange look on his face. I flipped through them and knew almost immediately that they were not standard manuscript, but tomes of magic. Two of them. And they were now mine. I would have to review them tonight to figure out what I had, exactly. A series of letters from an unknown sender were helpfully left in a bundle. Wax seals had been removed from all of them, leaving a single stamped signature mark which meant nothing to any of us. It was a round symbol similar to that of numerous orders within the Resolute. The letters themselves were written in a language other than Norvosian. Dorstark could read parts of it, but he said they were coded somehow and would need to be deciphered. Which was just awesome, really. These could be the key to finding my enemies, or they could be letters with a lost lover somewhere. Maybe they were recipes. It was discouraging. Also, I had to admit that the concept of having enemies is more than a little strange. With little else to do until we figured out the next pieces of this puzzle, I did what every good gamer would in my shoes. I took stock of my new loot. Chapter 12 About twenty gold altogether worth of coins had been in the pouches. The assortment of valuables were probably worth something, but not enough for me to worry about at the moment. However, the two chests held a veritable fortune. It must have been the compensation for whatever dirty jobs these butt openings were supposed to carry out. Well, to the victor goes the spoils, chumps. My argenti helped me sort and count it all. Bars of precious metals, coins, and gems were piled and accounted for. Without a proper appraisal, the gem values were guesses as close as they could approximate. In total, our haul was worth more than two hundred platinum or six thousand gold. ¡°Who would pay these thugs so much? And what were they paid for?¡± Morslon asked what we were all thinking. ¡°It must have been a monumental task,¡± Dorstark said. ¡°Like stealing my grimoire or assassinating me?¡± My argenti nodded grimly. We were looking at piles of blood money on the table. The sole redeeming factor is it all being in my possession now. I would have called it a consolation prize, but really¡­ I had not lost my life or my belongings, so it¡¯s really a bonus. Who didn¡¯t love bonus loot? Or, was all loot a bonus? The thought of diving into the magic books broke me out of my philosophical quandaries about loot. ¡°What can you tell me about these books before I start reading them?¡± Morslon and Dorstark exchanged a look before my mentor spoke up. ¡°That you should not begin your journey down this path by reading random books, Sully.¡± ¡°While I hate to agree with him on this, the old guy is right,¡± Morslon agreed. His comment about Dorstark was more than a little sassy too. ¡°Young Morslon, if you ever reference my age again, you will not live to equal my many years to regret such a transgression.¡± They stared daggers at one another. I was almost certain that if I did not intercede, they may start swinging on one another¡­ or slinging spells. ¡°Stop. Both of you. First, will one of you explain why talking about your ages matter so much? Second, will someone tell me why I should not just read these books.¡± ¡°No,¡± they said in unison before storming out of the tent and walking in opposite directions. Well, fuck. If they were going to leave me without answers, I couldn¡¯t make informed decisions. Despite the books we took pictures of in the library of the Mors, I hadn¡¯t read any of them yet. What I did know from seeing those is that very few of them had been written in Norvosian. Some journals and collections of notes were, but many of the arcane texts themselves were typically not. That realization had been disheartening to an extreme. Magic would be gated behind learning yet more languages. Fortunately for me, these two books were not just notes and they were both written in Norvosian. My first task was to skim them both to learn what they were about. ¡®Spatial Transitioning¡¯ was, somewhat unsurprisingly, a guide on various magics used to move objects and people. What did manage to shock me was the number of spells the book seemed to cover, if my assumptions were correct. It began with ways to levitate or remotely manipulate items, which seemed a lot like telekinesis. The latter half of the book was more interesting; translocation. Teleportation! There was no better way to describe what it was referring to. Short and long distances. Inanimate objects, animals, and people. I almost turned back to the first page to start reading it. The other book was still there though, simply titled ¡®Imbuements¡¯. Almost immediately I discovered that it covered some sort of enchanting. Literally imbuing items with spells! Of the two, it was immediately the most intriguing. After leafing through the pages I found it covered processes for both temporarily adding effects and instructions on doing so with more permanence. Back to page one. It was possible to add a whole damned spell to items, though many would add various effects. I read swiftly over much of the book. Slower than my earlier graze, yet faster than a thorough examination which would be needed to actually absorb the information. Page after page brought an endless array of questions to mind as I had no foundational understanding of magic. This was a primer for an advanced course on the topic and I lacked the most elementary information. It was infuriating. Imagine finding an advanced astrophysics textbook while waiting to enroll in grade school physical sciences. At least I could read these, unlike so many others. Also, I owned them. They would be the first additions to what I envisioned as being the largest library in this world, eventually. ¡°What is it that you believe you are doing?¡± Dorstark asked, having emphasized ¡®what¡¯ with more volume and intensity. I yelped like a teenager caught looking at naughty sites on the family computer. ¡°¡®Come on! Fuck¡­¡¯ Really, Dorstark?¡±, I yipped. ¡°Do I need to put a bell on you?¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°A bell my lord?¡± ¡°Nevermind.¡± ¡°I see that you did not heed our warnings, my lord.¡± ¡°Neither of you would give me answers. And you know I want to learn magic. Have wanted to learn something for months now, yet you refuse.¡± ¡°With respect, you have not been ready. Still you are not, clearly,¡± he said, gesturing toward the books. ¡°Dorstark, you both left me with a metallic red¡­ ¡®button¡¯. A lever of sorts. Or a latch release.¡± ¡°I fail to see the point you are attempting to make.¡± ¡°A temptation.¡± ¡°Right. That was my failing, for which I apologize. We should have taken the books with us seeing as you lack self control.¡± Morslon entered the tent, stopping to stand next to the elder mage - with a nicely bruising eye. ¡°What happened Morslon?¡± Dorstark cleared his throat. ¡°You both lack discipline and respect. He was recently tutored.¡± I guppied my mouth open and closed a few times, not sure what to say. During my time studying I had received corporal punishments all the time, but never anything so severe as to leave a mark visible to others. Even the two times I had called Dorstark old¡­ ¡°I have apologized and will refrain from such transgressions in the future, High Magister Dorstark,¡± Morslon said. ¡°Please forgive me Lord Sully.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Causing an upset among your argenti.¡± ¡°We are all fallible and make mistakes, including myself. Now that everything is forgiven, may I have some answers?¡± Morslon remained silent, deferring to Dorstark. ¡°If you are asking for my opinion, we should burn these texts.¡± ¡°What? Why would we do that? They are my first magic books. Would they not be worth a small fortune?¡± ¡°Because they have been translated to Norvosian. Though you know I do not ascribe to the faiths, there is sacredness of magic in the original Zedak.¡± ¡°That really explains nothing.¡± ¡°The Zedak, collectively, are languages which are beyond ancient. We may copy them in the original form, but never do we attempt to translate them to Norvosian.¡± ¡°Or any other language,¡± Morslon said. ¡°It is not done.¡± ¡°We are making progress now. Why not?¡± ¡°¡®Fuck¡¯ and ¡®digital¡¯ are words from your native tongue, are they not?¡± I was impressed at hearing him use the word for the first time. ¡°You know they are.¡± ¡°What is the Norvosian word for them?¡± There may have been something similar to fuck in Norvosian, but not for digital. I thought about it for a moment. ¡°Rutting, maybe. Nothing accurately translates to ¡®digital¡¯ either.¡± A light went on in the attic. ¡°Ohhh.¡± ¡°Precisely. There are words, and whole concepts, we cannot readily translate to Norvosian from arcane manuscripts.¡± ¡°How are these translated?¡± Morslon walked up to the table and flipped open the imbuements book, ¡°Poorly.¡± ¡°If that is true, how do you know any magic at all if entire chunks of those texts are not actually interpreted.¡± ¡°As Morslon stated, poorly. We know a great deal while also knowing that we do not know everything,¡± Dorstark said. ¡°That literally sounds like a summary of my time in Norvos thus far.¡± ¡°Magic, when practiced, loses efficacy as more of the original meanings are lost or strayed from. They can still work with quite a bit missing or being misunderstood, but their effects are weaker or may fail altogether.¡± ¡°I believe I understand. As these are written in Norvosian, these would have me starting at a disadvantage compared to their original counterparts.¡± ¡°Compared to their older counterparts, yes. It is possible that the originals have been lost to time and we are left with copies of translated copies.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°They could have been written by someone in Norvosian from their own knowledge, introducing even greater flaws as well,¡± Morslon said. ¡°There is a chance that someone with a greater understanding could also then improve on it too then, right?¡± ¡°In theory, yes. That is highly improbable however,¡± Dorstark replied. ¡°For those reasons you both believe I should not use these books then? For now anyway?¡± ¡°It is worth stating that you may also develop bad habits which must then be retaught properly, slowing your progression¡­ I was guilty of this at one point,¡± Morslon said. ¡°I advise that they be burned.¡± ¡°They may be worth something in Videm¡¯s markets and the colleges may be interested in purchasing them, Lord Sully. At the very least, you should wait until you do not actually need those books before deciding what to do with them.¡± My mentor sighed, ¡°That would be the most pragmatic decision, which is an improvement by leagues to attempting to learn from them at present.¡± ¡°I can accept that, on one condition¡­¡± ¡°Is this a negotiation now?¡± Dorstark asked ¡°I suppose so. You will both help me understand at least the basics of magic by the time we reach Videm, if it is possible.¡± They both agreed, if a bit reluctantly. My argenti, each in turn, expressed their concerns with me starting down the path toward spell casting. What once sounded so easy a cave-noble could do it, now sounded difficult. It was impossible to know until I tried, being blind to whatever obstacles there were. ¡°Lord Commander, you have a visitor,¡± one of my guards called from outside the tent. I almost invited them in until I looked around at my grimoire, piles of wealth, magic books, and other things strewn about. Outside the tent stood a familiar minister. Many of them wore the same or similar masks, but some were unique. This was one such priest. ¡°You were at the temple with me when I presented the offering.¡± She bowed, ¡°Indeed. Congratulations on your elevation to that of nobility, Lord Sully.¡± ¡°I had not realized you were accompanying our caravan¡­ I must apologize, I do not believe I have been given your name.¡± ¡°Ruko, and it had not been planned initially. I was sent to join the caravan the next day.¡± ¡°Pleasure to meet you, officially, Ruko. May I ask who sent you, and why?¡± ¡°Those answers are what bring me to you presently. High Minister Keldar ordered me to accompany you to Videm, should you ever find yourself in need of a minister.¡± ¡°Why might I need a minister while travelling?¡± ¡°Answers, guidance, solace¡­ Healing perhaps.¡± ¡°We have healers aplenty, minister,¡± Dorstark declared. ¡°I could always use more people around willing to give me answers,¡± I said, pointedly looking at my argenti. ¡°Why do you wear that mask?¡± Morslon took in a sharp breath, but said nothing. She reached up and touched the mask, almost caressing it. ¡°I wear this mask to honor the god I most favor, Verot.¡± Her fingers lingered on the slit in the middle of a ruined left eye socket. ¡°Why wear masks at all?¡± ¡°Lord Sully!¡± Morslon protested. ¡°It is quite alright. I am well versed in his lordships¡­ background,¡± she said. ¡°It would normally be considered extremely rude to speak so candidly about this matter. To answer your question, our personal identities are not important to our duties.¡± ¡°I appreciate your candor. Last one for now¡­ Would you mind telling me about Verot?¡± ¡°Verot is the one-eyed god of chance.¡± Her voice conveyed elation as her mask hid a smile I could only suspect. ¡°I am certain you would prefer to learn of his splendor in Verot¡¯s sagas however.¡± Ruko produced a smaller book from within her robes and presented it to me. ¡°Thank you Ruko. Honestly, books are the greatest gifts anyone could give me¡­ aside wealth,¡± I joked. Dorstark cleared his throat. ¡°Right. Right¡­ All of that is less than the undying loyalty of my argenti, of course.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she agreed. We made our way to an outside seating area to eat and continue our chat. Small talk mostly. I was not going to readily discuss any of my secrets in an open space, or to a newcomer. After I finished my second dinner, Roku excused herself to turn in for the evening. Only after she left did it occur to me that I stopped hearing the ¡®sounds¡¯ of our captives being questioned. It had stopped quite a while ago actually. We probably hadn¡¯t learned what we wanted to know yet or someone would have come to inform me, I think. More tired than most nights this early, I decided it would be best to turn in early. Last night and all the walking today were finally catching up to me, demanding I go to sleep. Comfortable and less anxious than I had been at the inn, I drifted off shortly after reintroducing my head to a pillow. ***** Twice during the night guards rushed into my tent only to find me alone, howling in fear. The damned horrors of my dreams refused to grant me one night¡¯s respite. I woke as our camp came to life in the morning. The pleasant aroma of cooked meats and eggs wafted into my tent, beckoning me to arise for the day. A few splashes of water from a basin performed a minor miracle in washing away the dregs of dreariness from ever longer nights. Looking at my cell phone it occurred to me that the days may actually be shortening. It¡¯s clock was not at all accurate any longer, but I still used it to track the passage of time every now and then. A single day here in our world was about four hours longer than in my old world. Silently I pondered these questions as I made my way through the morning meals among the soldiers. Hopefully my presence was more a benefit than a hindrance, but only time will tell I suppose. Unlike the nobles, most of the looks I received here were filled with awe and fascination. My argenti found me lost in thought and food as I started my second serving. ¡°Good morning.¡± They both nodded, mouths already working to chew. ¡°I have a question,¡± I said, waiting for one of them to free up a moment to speak. ¡°Of course, my lord,¡± Morslon said. ¡°The nights, are they growing longer.¡± ¡°They do so every winter, fortunately.¡± ¡°How is that a good thing?¡± He shrugged, ¡°If nights were longer during the warmer months, farmers would have less time in the day to work the fields.¡± That made sense in a way. Though now I questioned their knowledge of astronomy and that whole barrel of monkeys. ¡°It does not impact the resolute overly much, given the ease of illumination incantations,¡± Dorstark said. ¡°Candles are not overly expensive either.¡± ¡°Interesting. Only last night did I really begin to notice it.¡± What I didn¡¯t say however is that it also made sense because I felt each was more trying and grueling than the last. I had just the thing to help clear away my morning funk. I finished and left them to their meals, rushing off to my tent. All the foodstuffs foreign to my new home were in a single trunk, which is where I found the splendid stuff I sought. Shortly thereafter I held a mug filled with hot water from our camp¡¯s cook and stirred in the appropriate ingredients. Pleased with the look and aroma, I reverently brought it to my lips. I relished my first sublime sip of a potion lost to me here. Dark nectar delivering me from the abyss. I missed the marvelous catharsis of drinking coffee. Being my first cup in months, I gave absolutely zero fucks that it was the ¡®instant¡¯ variety. Yes, today will be a good day. As if I had tempted fate, a scream sounded nearby. It nearly caused me to drop my mug and spill the cherished contents. If someone wasn¡¯t dying, they might have for that mishap if we had all been so unfortunate. It wasn¡¯t just coffee either. No, I used a packet of hot cocoa too. It would have been two invaluable items wasted. Many of the teas and brewed beverages in Orya had been good, but nothing like this. Perhaps I have a bias. The sounds came from within our camp, though no guards rushed toward it. That meant the enhanced inquiry began again. Working with the wails in the background would be grating. I found my argenti and told them I was going to walk around a bit. My guard detail had shadowed me while I ate, just like the good old days back in Orya. I had grown accustomed to them always being around and now found their presence comforting. What I didn¡¯t miss was the looks from other nobles, still. Blending in would be impossible for me, given my significantly greater height. I tried to pay them no mind, continuing to walk and drink. Outside the central area I walked by an endless amount of tents. Thus far I had not ventured beyond our camp. The looks from most soldiers ranged between deference and indifference. Walking in their areas proved to be the most pleasant. A winded runner approached, almost sliding to a stop. ¡°Lord Commander, your presence is requested by the High Commander and Lieutenant Volk.¡± I turned and began walking back toward our camp, the direction the teenage looking messenger had run back toward after being dismissed. The boy had not said where they were, so my command tent was as good a guess as any. Nespolan, my argenti, and my officer were all present when I entered the tent. ¡°You rang?¡± I tried to draw out the word ¡®rang¡¯ in Norvosian. The effect wasn¡¯t quite right. ¡°What?¡± They all asked as one. I laughed, ¡°It¡¯s a saying of my people. Sounding a bell and calling others to you. Nevermind.¡± ¡°We have news,¡± Volk said. Nespolan leaned forward in her seat. ¡°The captives did not give us much. Only the existence of another group also following us, which was confirmed by our scouts. They found the remains of two separate camps, which is somewhat concerning.¡± ¡°That does not sound good at all.¡± ¡°It is not. Moving forward we will have outriders and scouts ranging further from the caravan. Fortunately, we have the ability to manage a rather large net.¡± ¡°Any information on who hired these rutting butt openings?¡± For all their military bearing, Volk and Nespolan smiled a bit at my crude phrase. Morslon actually laughed, making Dorstark¡¯s groan all the better. ¡°The only thing we have gained from them was the name of a group; the Eternals.¡± ¡°That sounds ominous. Do we know anything about them?¡± Dorstark shook his head, ¡°We do not. It is likely that theirs is the signature at the bottom of the letters.¡± ¡°And we still need to figure out what was written in those.¡± ¡°Already done,¡± Morslon proclaimed. ¡°We worked on it most of last night and this morning. It was not too difficult actually.¡± ¡°They are written in Taernish and were not difficult to decode,¡± Dorstark said. ¡°The story these messages tell is disturbingly foreboding. Earlier messages discussed summoning a creature that would kill their target. They shifted to a dark tone of condemnation and punishments for failure.¡± ¡°The most recent communications ordered this band of¡­¡± He almost called them butt openings, I could tell. ¡°...whatever they are, to pilfer your grimoire and other items.¡± ¡°Though the letters do not name me directly, I believe that I was their initial target,¡± Nespolan said. To the west of Norvos there was a vast swath of disputed lands which ran from the northern to southern coasts. Beyond that unclaimed band lay the Kingdom of Taern which stretched to include the western coast of Orbil. ¡°Let me see if I understand this so far. A mysterious group of people hired another less mysterious group of thugs to summon that ¡®minotaur¡¯ to kill Nespolan. Then I wound up saving him, and now they want my things.¡± ¡°Sounds right,¡± Morslon said. Our group sat in silence as we all thought about the implications of our discoveries. Someone wanting what they did not have didn¡¯t really surprise me. Nor did plots to kill nobles. It was just a lot to take in. ¡°It is unlikely that the remaining captives will give up any more information, Lord Commander. What are your orders?¡± Volk asked. ¡°Remaining captives?¡± ¡°Ten yet live, my lord.¡± ¡°What happened to the other four?¡± ¡°One was already wounded from the battle and perished at the beginning of our interrogations. Three others also expired before we received any information. After that, they were only slightly more cooperative. There is no guarantee that we would learn more from those that remain if we continued for a prolonged period.¡± I unpacked every part of my lieutenant¡¯s statement, slowly gnawing at the disgusting bits of fetid information. Knowing people were being interrogated with intensity and being told that they were in fact being tortured to death was a different matter. The gristley mess was no easier to chew on knowing it was within my power to have stopped it, had I known. Choking down bile and taking a sip of water, I readied myself to have this discussion. ¡°What would normally be done with prisoners such as these?¡± I asked, looking at each of those present in turn. ¡°For the crimes of thievery from and attempted murder of a noble? The lives of all those guilty would be forfeit,¡± Nespolan said, matter of factly. ¡°Plotting to kill a member of the royal family would also give cause to pass guilt on their families as well, should the intended victim or someone of higher station choose to press for justice,¡± Morslon said. Nespolan shook her head in conveyance that she would not pursue such a claim, for justice. Her words I understood in a way. Albeit the punishments were harsh, they were not unearned. Including their families in their fate, for justice, was a vile concept to me. ¡°Execution then? Would we need to do it publicly? All of this is¡­ new to me.¡± ¡°There have not been executions in Norvos since the reign of King Nesferk, three royal generations prior,¡± Morslon said. ¡°What then? You said their lives would be forfeit¡­ I must, again, admit ignorance and require an explanation as to what the normal punishment would be.¡± ¡°Most nobles would hold them for rejuvenations.¡± Nespolan and Volk gestured in agreement to Morslon¡¯s statement. ¡°Rejuvenation does not sound bad.¡± Dorstark frowned and looked away. Chapter 13 From my perspective the single Norvosian word for ¡®rejuvenation¡¯ had both positive and negative connotations. As I translated it, the word was definitely more positive. I knew from my studies that it was not often used, with other similar words taking precedent. We had not stayed on the topic for long at the time, which I had then dismissed as pressing on to make our way through the lessons. Now definitely seemed like the right time to explore this idea a bit further. ¡°Rejuvenation?¡± I asked, looking to them each for an answer. ¡°I need answers.¡± ¡°It is the process used both to replenish us,¡± Morslon said, gesturing between himself and Dorstark, ¡°and to lengthen lifespans.¡± ¡°That still does not tell me much, will anyone give me a thorough explanation?¡± Nespolan sat up in her seat, straightening her uniform. ¡°We consider it to be one of our country¡¯s more closely guarded secrets, Sully. Those who know, grow up knowing or learn it during their time studying with the Resolute. Forgive our individual reluctance to discuss it in detail.¡± ¡°Rejuvenation is, essentially, magical transference of essence from one living being to another. Casters use it to wash away their accumulated scars and others use it to return them to a more youthful state,¡± Dorstark finally explained. I repeated his words in my head a couple times to consume the concepts. From the sounds of it, this transference was permanent and possibly lethal. For all my faults, I am not an idiot. ¡°I have more questions,¡± I said, looking directly at my mentor. ¡°If answers are the heralds of knowledge, I need you to begin providing me with them without all this added nonsense. Now and forever.¡± He bowed, deeply. ¡°As you command Lord Sully. I have sworn my life to you and beg your forgiveness for my failure to do so.¡± ¡°This rejuvenation¡­ Is it lethal?¡± ¡°It can be, but need not always kill the source.¡± ¡°Mages and accumulated scars?¡± ¡°That is a bit of a larger question, my lord. All magic has a price. Many cantrips and simple spells may be paid for and recovered easily enough. More complex magics, and nearly all methods of healing, require¡­ more.¡± ¡°More? What is the price?¡± ¡°One¡¯s life essence, my lord.¡± ¡°Blood? It does not sound like you are talking about blood¡­¡± ¡°No, my lord. It is more of an intangible thing, usually. Without it we slowly wither and die, not unlike aging. However, physical damage may also bleed us of this essence - similar to blood in that way.¡± I took deep breaths between statements, forcing myself not to have a panic attack or freak out. ¡°Magic uses one¡¯s life essence and that must be recharged, correct?¡± ¡°Price and cost may be poor ways to illustrate it, for which I apologize. They will suffice for now. And essence is replenished, not recharged.¡± Price and cost¡­ Replenished, not recharged¡­ Semantics. I thought back to what else I had been told first. ¡°You mentioned healing and complex magics separately. Why?¡± ¡°The toll for complex magic is always higher. Sometimes it may be carried by an individual. Others, the burden must be borne by multiple. Healing always taxes both the recipient and the source, or the caster may bear both sets of scars.¡± I looked at Morslon¡¯s bruised eye, realizing now why all minor wounds were not healed constantly. Then, with a bit of dread, I thought about the times I had been healed¡­ ¡°This essence may be transferred between people and is used to make people young again too?¡± He nodded, so I continued. ¡°Who?¡± Dorstark took in a long, deep breath and slowly exhaled. Before answering he looked to Nespolan, then shrugged. ¡°The fortunate, my lord. The high born of Norvos and those of rank in various societies.¡± ¡°Like the Resolute?...¡± He slowly nodded. ¡°Correct, my lord. Ranking members of the military also benefit from rejuvenations,¡± he finished, gesturing toward Lieutenant Volk. ¡°What of the commoners?¡± I asked, knowing that I already had the answers to this. ¡°Are they healed or rejuvenated?¡± My exceptional mentor, High Magister Dorstark, a noble and ranking member of the Resolute¡­ who had been argenti to one of the most powerful individuals in all Norvos¡­ fell to his knees and wept into his hands. All propriety vanished from the truly great man in that moment. My heart shattered. Morslon and Volk quietly excused themselves from the command tent, likely wishing they had not remained for my battery of questions on this barbaric and delicate topic. I sat across from Nespolan, watching Dorstark for minutes until he began to settle down. Every fiber of my being wanted to stop pressing the issue, putting it off for another day. That would not help anyone though. ¡°Nespolan¡­ Commoners do not receive the same treatment as the highborn, do they?¡± It was an easy enough answer to guess, but I needed to know. ¡°No,¡± she said softly, still not peeling her sight from Dorstark. ¡°I need to know these things,¡± I began, ¡°and apologize for any breach in etiquette. How old are you, High Commander Nespolan?¡± ¡°I have been restored but once, not including my countless healings.¡± My own healing returned to the front of my mind. ¡°The bill for my first healing here¡­ How was that settled?¡± ¡°A minister willingly offered themselves along with five skane to restore you that day. You were closer to death than perhaps any other I have seen, which has been far too many to remember.¡± Five skane and a minister had been sacrificed to save me. I looked at Dorstark, beginning to understand what he was really feeling right now¡­ perhaps. Or, perhaps I knew nothing of his immense sorrow. ¡°How many times have you restored Nespolan?¡± Her gaze became unfocused as she stared at the ceiling, ¡°I wish I could tell you Sully, I do. However, I lost count some time ago and found it easier not to consider the consequences. I trained and fought to keep myself from being injured as best I could instead.¡± ¡°So you are what? An ancient person or something?¡± ¡°No, I am not ancient.¡± Anger flashed on her face, then lessened rapidly. ¡°If you are asking how many times I have been renewed, that is significantly less. My actual age is less than one hundred years by a bit.¡± ¡°Renewing and restoring are not the same thing, though both are part of rejuvenating,¡± Dorstark said as he took a seat at the table. ¡°Before you ask, I have renewed four times in my life, Sully¡­ Placing me over two hundred years old, I think. I would have to sit and figure it out if you wanted something more exact.¡± I opened my mouth to speak before a single gesture from him stopped me. ¡°Like Nespolan, I ceased tracking my restorations long ago. Though I do not count them, I do keep track in a journal. Unlike Nespolan however, I have been restored both for healing and to replenish my well of essence.¡± It dawned on me just then. ¡°That is why you rarely cast magic,¡± I declared, rather than asking him. ¡°It is. Well, that and my chosen expertise is rather destructive. When I began down this path I had been young, foolish, and brash.¡± Nespolan poured us each a goblet of dark, bitter booze. It was strong and burned like hot coals going down, reminding me that I was alive. Not just alive, but well. I couldn¡¯t work through the emotions of knowing others sacrificed themselves for me right now. What I did do was decide that the price they paid would not be in vain. I will not squander my life. ¡°All of this is somehow kept a secret within Norvos? I thought magic exists outside our kingdom too?¡± They both nodded, but Nespolan spoke. ¡°It does. Ours is a unique method of sharing the costs. Most others tap into their essence only moderately by comparison, individually wearing the scars until they succumb to them. Some sacrifice hundreds of animals. Others only accept magics granted by the gods, who somehow pay the toll.¡± ¡°The greatest detractor of our chosen ways is the ever increasing toll,¡± Dorstark said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Each time a person is the recipient of a rejuvenation, it requires more.¡± ¡°After two hundred years¡­¡± I trailed off as he nodded numbly. Two hundred years and countless rejuvenations. If a single healing required six lives for me, how many had given theirs for Dorstark? Or Nespolan? Who then was the oldest person in Norvos? How many lives have been sacrificed to them? My head spun in the whirlpool of questions I couldn¡¯t currently give voice to. For now, we sat and drank together.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. An hour or so passed by as we finished the bottle in the company of friends. Morslon returned with food, which the group of us ate in silence as well. I wanted to lose myself in a much longer walk around the camps. A good book would be a more exquisite escape for me. Neither would get me over this mountain that loomed before me. One thing pushed me forward, away from escapism and indecision - I could not squander my life. I would not. Even now, sitting here, I felt as if I were betraying the unnamed souls given up to save me. Aside from the abundance of information I had been presented with, one question still remained. ¡°What should we do with the captives?¡± Nespolan was the first to reply. ¡°They are yours to do with as you wish, Sully.¡± We couldn¡¯t go in more circles. Ugh¡­ ¡°What are my options?¡± ¡°You could execute them. Wait until they are needed for rejuvenations. Imprison them for however long you desire. Free them. Your decision.¡± ¡°I could free them?¡± That idea had somehow escaped me in the cyclone of emotions earlier. ¡°Of course, though I would suggest against it for obvious reasons.¡± ¡°If it is my decision, I will go speak with them.¡± Without saying anything further I stood and walked out, ordering one of my waiting guards to lead me to the captives. ¡°My prisoners,¡± I thought with terrible bewilderment. They had been bound to a long hitching post in an open area beyond the edge of my camp. Their hands were tied above a long log, too high for them to sit or squat. The ten people hung awkwardly from the horizontal pole. To a person they looked worn and ragged after a single day of this treatment. It struck a chord in the core of my being to see anyone treated this way. Knowing they were not innocent helped shove down that raw emotion. They could not see me as weak, regardless of what I decided. ¡°Fetch them water,¡± I commanded, to no one in particular. One of the guards who watched over the prisoners left and returned with a bucket and ten cups. In their current position they would not be able to drink anything though, hands tied above their heads. I filled a cup and approached the first person, turning to my guards and gesturing them all to assist me. ¡°Here, drink up.¡± It reached his lips and I tilted slowly, trying not to overwhelm him. He drank breathlessly until I pulled the half empty draught away. It didn¡¯t take long for us to give each of them their first drink since capturing them in their camp. ¡°Can you all speak Norvosian?¡± I asked, locking eyes with each of them in turn. All but two of them nodded or rasped an affirmation. ¡°Those two,¡± I said, pointing at the two who had not responded. Their eyes all widened, fear plainly stretched across each face. ¡°Do they speak Taernish?¡± A lone woman nodded this time. Turning to my guards again, ¡°Can anyone here speak Taernish?¡± ¡°No, Lord Commander,¡± each replied. ¡°Bring Dorstark,¡± I ordered. ¡°And bread.¡± The same guard left who had fetched the water. Either he was the low man on the totem pole, or he was eager to please. Minutes later the two men approached holding a loaf of bread. ¡°Can you speak Taernish?¡± I asked Dorstark in a barely audible tone. ¡°Yes, multiple dialects.¡± ¡°Good, you will translate for me. You five,¡± I said, gesturing toward some soldiers, ¡±will feed each of them.¡± I waited until they started putting bite sized pieces of bread into the mouths of the captives before speaking again. ¡°I am Lord Sully. You are my captives.¡± Dorstark translated my statement, I think. It sounded as if he included his long-winded version of announcing me, as he had in the tavern. Oh well, it would work. ¡°Are you from Taern?¡± I asked Four nodded while chewing and six shook their heads. So far, so good. ¡°Do you have a family?¡± They all wavered a bit before responding. Only a few had families; one in Taern and two in Norvos. Whether or not any of this was true, I wouldn¡¯t know most likely. Our question and answer session yielded little in the way of actionable intel. Some knew of the plots and admitted it while others didn¡¯t. None offered further information about the summoning or their first target, though a couple tried to say that they knew nothing about it. Periodically one or more of them would plead for their lives. Tears were shed. I was begged and bargained with. Finally, one of them demanded that I release him or end his life on the spot. He expressed that he just wanted it to be over with. ¡°If you cooperate, your situation will improve. Make their jobs easy,¡± I said, gesturing toward the guards, ¡°and you will receive better food, for example. For now, you live and will be accompanying us when we leave Korolm.¡± My orders to the soldiers were to keep them alive, first and foremost. They were to be fed and provided water, by hand, until I ordered their bonds to be loosened. I was to be present for both meals as well, for now. Individually they would be allowed to relieve themselves with no fewer than three guards escorting them. If we encountered inclement weather, the captives would be sheltered and watched by an increased presence. Lastly my orders were to be conveyed to Lieutenant Volk to ensure they were carried out properly. Perhaps it was all a bit much. Who knows? I felt better about the situation for now, despite having not made a decision. Why doom people to be sacrificed today when I can put it off until tomorrow, right? ¡°I need to see these letters Dorstark.¡± ¡°In the command tent, my lord.¡± ¡°Thank you for your help translating back there,¡± I said as we walked away from the prisoners. ¡°Of course, it is my duty¡­ which I endeavor to never falter in again.¡± ¡°There is nothing to be ashamed of. That conversation had to happen at some point. Now it has, and it is behind us.¡± ¡°Your humility honors me, my lord.¡± I stopped and looked at him. Really looked at him. ¡°Enough of that, please. Yes, I am your lord and you pledged yourself to me. We both understand that. What I need is your counsel, not passive appeasement. You are, without a doubt, more experienced and wiser than I am. Your honesty and loyalty are what I will demand of you.¡± We began to walk again. ¡°Respect I will earn.¡± He appeared deep in thought until we entered the tent and sat at the table. Other conversations would need to happen, but my point was made and I believe he agreed with me. ¡°Is there something you are looking for in the letters?¡± ¡°Not sure. Could you read them to me?¡± Dorstark laid them out and read them each in turn. The summoning was to be performed by an unnamed accomplice that they were to meet in Orya, providing that person payment and instructions. Unfortunately, it did not include the methods used or target. A few letters were responses to updates before finally ordering the group to follow and steal from me at their earliest opportunity. Aside the items mentioned, the group would be allowed to keep anything else they took. Being one side of the conversations we could only venture guesses as to what the others had been. In total there were twenty letters though, which did tell me something. ¡°Both the sender and recipients had been in Orya throughout all of this Unless there are methods of communicating at great distances I do not know of.¡± Which, to be fair, included a great many things I¡¯m sure. ¡°None that I know of, my lord. Your conjecture is presumably correct.¡± Something so trivial that I had taken for granted, being able to talk to someone else no matter where we were. There had to be a way of doing it here. Even if it required magic, at the cost of lives, I am certain someone with no morals would use it. If there wasn¡¯t, I would find or create one. I made a mental note to add that to my quest list. ¡°The symbols on these pages. It seems familiar, but I do not recognize them.¡± Dorstark pulled back his sleeve to reveal his brand again. They were similar, but distinctly different. ¡°They are not the same at all,¡± I said, looking back and forth between them. When I held the page next to his arm, it occurred to me. ¡°They may be derived from the same origins?¡± ¡°Possible. We can research this as well when we reach Videm and you are admitted access to the resources of the Resolute.¡± ¡°I am not signing myself away to them,¡± I said, yet again. ¡°No offense.¡± ¡°None taken, my lord. If you intend to have access to the arcane manuscripts however, you must first apply and then receive the brand.¡± The joys of bureaucracy. I will cross that bridge when we come to it. Both symbols were carefully copied to my journal and everything was photographed, of course. The other two groups travelling through the woods may have nothing to do with any of this. Or they could have answers. My plate was filling up with things well beyond my control. That feeling sucked. Too many unknowns and things to wait for. What I could do now was prepare for when we left Korolm tomorrow morning and work on something. Anything. Probably the digital scriptorium project. When that was finished I would be able to more readily access all that information. I sent Dorstark with a hundred gold to my new quartermaster. With his oversight I was certain there would not be a copper missing, and it would be good to supply and empower that individual to handle our needs. The only request I made for now was a pair of carts along with some chains and shackles that we could use for my guests. Thinking of them as involuntary guests helped fool myself quite a bit. I expected someone could rig up the carts to secure them as we traveled. We managed to get quite a bit done between the three of us, really settling into the rhythm and using the time we had wisely. Dorstark was nearly up to speed with Morslon in terms of using my mystical alien technology. He used the tablet, Morslon had the laptop, and I was stuck working on my phone. It wasn¡¯t the best situation I could have hoped for, but in all reality¡­ especially this reality, it was incredible. Morslon received a ¡®promotion¡¯ in our production line; moving up from creating and filling folders, to copying the raw folders and cropping the individual images. Dorstark happily handled the mundane tasks left to him. Their gleeful diligence was infectious. I started viewing it closer to their perspective - painting this particular fence was a privilege, not a burden. Motivational posters will be added to my list of things to make. The whole project would take longer than initially taking the pictures. Rewardingly, one by one, the books were being converted into single documents. One day, months or years from now perhaps, I wanted to start interlinking all the documents and maps. Years from now? I hadn¡¯t really put much thought into that particular concept, focusing instead on the here and now. What were my long-term goals in my new world? We took a break to eat so I could hand feed my guests. Then I stopped to sleep well after sundown. My dreams were haunted, as they were every night. They were disturbing as ever and now included scores of soldiers dancing together in unison. The captives all hung by their arms from their log, lifeless. Awake before sunrise, I had my involuntary guests unbound and tended to. Still guarded, each was allowed to bathe and put new clothes on from the supplies I kept from their camp. Fed and watered, they were loaded into the newly acquired covered wagons rigged to secure them for the trip. I had one last task before leaving the town. Lieutenant Volk selected five of our soldiers who were tasked with delivering a package to Morstaal. A copy of the letters from the Eternals was sent with a letter explaining all we knew about that problem and requesting that they investigate it in Orya. Nespolan sent his own letter as well, though I doubted the Mors would need to be coaxed into action. Some sketches and instructions were included for minor changes to my ship. Despite being posed as suggestions, I had no doubts that most of them would be included. Future ships may also benefit from the upgrades as well, which was part of the point once I made up my mind about it. There were a number of other things I could have gifted to Morstaal before we left too, I just couldn¡¯t decide on anything. Really, I didn¡¯t want to give up things I could not replace. I settled on a length of fishing line, a couple lures, and the compass from my old world. It was utilitarian in design rather than being ornate, but did have some bonus features - including some inscriptions I made since we left. My next letter was more personal, directly thanking him for all his assistance. I also explained the presents and ship stuff. The soldiers were each geared up with ample supplies, were issued a horse, and given a gold coin. More than enough for any expenses they would have. They should have little trouble making it back to Orya and catching up with us before we reached Videm. The caravan began to uncoil from around Korolm and stretch onto the road like a giant snake waking from its slumber. Somewhere in the middle of it I sat in a carriage with my argenti, with my own small army surrounding us. Chapter 14 Korolm was days behind us as we made our usual midday stop, still in the midst of endless rolling hills. As stated, I checked on my captives during each meal. They were in as good of spirits as I could expect them to be in chains. Without giving away any of my secrets I offered to answer any questions they may have. The one that I still couldn¡¯t answer was what I would do with them. To assuage their fears I had said that I did not plan to end their lives. It was true enough for now. Those with families still did not want to discuss them, but I would keep asking. Again, unsure of why exactly I wanted to know. Perhaps that knowledge would keep me from making the decision to kill them in some way at a later time. I would eat one meal with them and another with one of my units, trying to spread out my presence a bit more. This took more time of course, but I wanted to know these people whose lives I held power over. Ruko approached and sat next to me while eating with my shackled lunch guests. ¡°Why do you keep these offenders, Lord Sully? And why ensure they are cared for?¡± The meals I ate now were not typical noble affairs, but the same that I fed the prisoners and what my soldiers ate. For that reason, it took a bit of chewing before I could respond to the masked minister. ¡°Compassion, I think.¡± ¡°You are a curious person. And you understand that it is contrary to what most would do in your situation?¡± ¡°Somewhat. What others would do is not something I try to concern myself with overly much.¡± ¡°There is wisdom in that I suppose.¡± ¡°I think time will show whether it is wisdom or folly in one¡¯s choices.¡± ¡°Certainly full of clever words today.¡± I shrugged, ¡°Perhaps full of stupid questions too, if you would not mind humoring me.¡± ¡°Please, ask. I am at your service, my lord,¡± she said with a deferential bow of her head. ¡°Do you ever take the mask off?¡± She giggled, ¡°It is not permanently affixed to my face, if that is what you are asking. Yes, I do.¡± ¡°Why choose Verot?¡± That mask hid her face, but the way she looked upward slightly seemed like she thought about the answer before responding. ¡°His domain is what I believed to be my greatest weakness at the lowest point in my life.¡± ¡°Gambling problem?¡± ¡°Nothing quite so obvious. No, I blamed my own terrible luck on anything else but me. The irony is that after turning to Verot, I found that it had more to do with free will and chaos than anything.¡± Immediately I envisioned some dark forces of chaos working against the order in the world. ¡°What do you mean when you say chaos and free will?¡± ¡°Simply that individuals¡¯ decisions have more to do with outcomes than luck. Chaos has little to do with chance by itself. Rather it is one¡¯s proximity to a particular event which dictates their likelihood of being swept up in its vortex.¡± ¡°Interesting. Yet you remain with Verot nonetheless. Can you ever swap for a different god?¡± ¡°I could, but do not see why I would. His will is the most interesting of the favored gods in my perspective.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°The domains of most gods are rather boring, to me. Verot watches over all luck; good and bad. Many seek his favor for trivial matters. Others do so for a more generalized improvement in their life, believing it will help. The most intriguing are those who offer thanks for what they perceive to be their good fortune, being a sign of his influence to them.¡± Her answer surprised me. ¡°You do not sound like you believe.¡± ¡°Oh, I do. What I will never know is which of those things he has touched and which he has not, which is why it fascinates me,¡± she said. ¡°Have you read that book, Lord Sully?¡± The book she had given me was a collection of legends and fables all involving the god of chance. Most of them had some moral to their story. Little of it was written about Verot himself however. ¡°I have yet to finish it, but I have started it - yes.¡± ¡°Would you mind sharing your thoughts on it thus far?¡± ¡°A common theme throughout the book almost appears to be that Verot prefers balance in the world, which struck me as odd. It also says remarkably little about him directly.¡± She nodded, ¡°That is the right way of it I believe. His purview is that of advantages and disadvantages, as well as weighing them against one another. In most things someone must lose that which another gains.¡± ¡°Has he ever granted some great bounty or prosperity without balancing the scales?¡± ¡°That I could not begin to know and would not assume to understand. Who would say if, in doing so, it was not balanced in a way we could not fathom?¡± ¡°True enough I suppose. One last question and then I must get back to my carriage so we are not delaying our departure. Is he missing an eye or are you?¡± Again she reached up to touch the mask¡¯s mangled left eye. ¡°Both, actually. That is a longer story for another time I fear. Have a wonderful day my lord,¡± she said as she began walking away, before adding, ¡°And thank you for your compassion toward others.¡± I watched her walk away, thinking about life and luck. It didn¡¯t seem plausible that the entire universe, or even just this world, were a zero sum or closed loop. The whole of existence is owed to entropy¡­ if my understanding of it all is correct anyway. ¡°I hate philosophy,¡± I thought with a groan on the walk back. If there were ministers for various gods, I wanted to find one for Kuriy as well. Why had there not been one at the noble¡¯s temple? It could be that there was one and I had not encountered them. Were there clergy for each god represented at a temple? Would that be true of every temple? With my thoughts wandering as far and wide as they were, I nearly let my feet meander right by the carriage. My argenti were waiting inside for me to return, having likely eaten quickly before hurrying back to look over more rune-stuff. As we did every day, we set off again. Thinking of my soldiers¡¯ morale after we set camp for the night, I decided ¡®movie nights¡¯ should be something we do. Projecting onto canvas worked remarkably well. The portable speaker was loud enough for everyone to hear at first, even if they couldn¡¯t understand any of it. Everyone was amazed with my ability to conjure moving images. It didn¡¯t do anything to hurt my image or the way they looked at me, that¡¯s for sure. After the first night of this the crowd grew too large, so we started a rotation of them. I would have preferred to have showings in a tent or obscured area, to keep it a secret. Instead, we began setting up a tent just outside my area of camp - to keep the extra bodies away from my stuff. I began charging admission from outsiders as well on the second night. Free entry was also extended to any member of the Resolute as well. This way they would not have to ask their benefactors for money to attend. Troops paid two copper, camp followers and non-troops paid ten copper, and nobles paid five silver. At first they balked at the high cost, until they were left out of this new form of entertainment and acquiesced. They also got front row seats.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Movie nights were a hit and I finally had some form of income. It was a drop in the bucket compared to the stores of wealth I already held, but it was nice to be bringing in my own money as well. Just counting the nobles, each showing brought in more than a gold. Which is why I started two a night of the same movie. Nespolan was happy at first¡­ until the crowds grew too large by the third night, taking up quite a bit of ground. We worked out a way to manage it, using the hillsides to our benefit. Natural stadium seating! At least the lighting conditions were favorable and I managed to stretch it to a two and a half meter screen size. We had more than a hundred people attending each showing on the fourth night. Around that number is where we cut off admittance. More people would only make viewing quality go down. And I bumped it up to a total of three per night. Myself or one of my argenti ran each event. The nobles produced about eighty percent of the revenue. Each night totaled at least four gold, fifteen silver, and some copper coins. If we kept this up, I might make back the money I spent during my first shopping trip¡­ if not the second. I had a large library of movies, so we wouldn¡¯t run out of content any time soon. Honestly, it was fun. The best bonus might be the change in some of the nobles¡¯ demeanor toward me. No, the dark dreams easing up on me slightly was better than that. The added task did make for longer nights, but our productivity had not been hindered at all. If anything, it helped. Dorstark and Morslon both had a sense of pride in being allowed to openly operate the laptop and projector. My argenti were also both given access to my grimoire, journal, and book - which I was surprisingly comfortable with. Months ago it would have been inconceivable, by all present, that they would be allowed to handle and read them. Partly due to my own insecurities or paranoia, and also in part because of their extreme respect for personal property. Culturally speaking, it turns out that magical thievery is one reason for the aversion to touching things that one does not own. Wrist clasping existed for a similar reason; mutually assured destruction. Kinda similar anyway. It was one of the few accepted means of touching another person openly. However, if one mage were to attempt to perform something to another, there were methods of reflecting and duplicatings spells. This was even easier for those which are contact based. Almost all of that went out the window where societal hierarchy was concerned. The King could do as he wished to other people and their belongings - mostly. That would be true of others down the chain from royalty and nobility, ending with commoners. Or skane, I suppose. They were considered the bottom of the barrel, or the ground the barrel sat upon. Chattel, similar to livestock... only cheaper. So, it seemed that my station, presently benefitting from the King¡¯s and High Commander¡¯s ranks, placed me directly below Nespolan in the pecking order of our caravan. It was in part due to that ranking that my argenti were elated when I announced we three not-kings would be working together on my favorite five thousand piece puzzle¡­ If it were a puzzle with no edge pieces. And we lacked the full picture to work from. And they were all scratch offs too, obscuring even small pieces of the mystery image. Their exuberance was mostly because it was an unknown magic though, if I¡¯m being honest with myself. Borrowed ego aside, I was glad to actually have them working alongside me in this endeavor. While I spent a great deal of time reviewing and studying the contents of my grimoire, it usually felt as if I was stuck in a loop. Their fresh eyes looked at the problem with new perspectives and vigor. It was akin to running with someone else; a constant source of motivation and means of externally judging pace. Each had a blank book to write in and my own pens to use, which they marveled at. Though we wrote very little during the day, quills and inkwells would have been a terrible option on the road. Dorstark remained focused on everything remotely related to the symbol he recognized. He wanted to know if it was a fire rune of some sort. Runes found alongside them frequently pulled him down tangential paths, until he would wind his way back toward the root of his chosen area of study. Morslon focused on grouping like characters together in novel ways. I had been down this path many times and had dedicated dozens of pages in the grimoire to that area of research; constantly to no avail. His approach however was different than many of mine had been. After the hills gave way to open plains with mountains looming in the distance, we had our first potential breakthrough since working together as a team. During Morslon¡¯s attempts at cataloging symbols from most simple to most complex he found possibly related symbols being used with some wholly different. In one case there was a complex character that resembled another being used among far more simple symbols. ¡°It resembles a translation error in our magic manuscripts,¡± he gasped. ¡°I thought it was a massive ¡®faux pas¡¯ to translate them from their original, dead languages.¡± ¡°¡®Faux pas¡¯?¡± ¡°Bad form. Wrong. Something that was not done.¡± ¡°Right. It is. But it has happened. Some texts were translated thousands of years ago from one ancient civilization to a newer one, still long dead to us.¡± Lightbulb! ¡°You are suggesting that the newer old language lacked a proper translation for something from and older¡­ old language!¡± ¡°Correct. Look here,¡± Morslon said, laying his finger on a line my great-grandfather had written. It was copied from a tablet in a museum. He flipped to another page and pointed at another piece my grandfather had examined in a tomb on an entirely different continent, ¡°And¡­ here.¡± The second was an entirely complex set of symbols. In the first set there was only one complex rune, surrounded by more simplified runes. The two complex symbols were close enough that they may have meant the same thing but those around them seemed to have no correlation. ¡°So they could be from the same language family then,¡± I said. ¡°I think so.¡± How could I have missed that? I was so close to it enough times that I should have stumbled across this. The choice between kicking myself over it or diving in this rabbit hole was a simple one though. I would only beat myself up over it for a little bit¡­ while working through it with Morslon. The three of us explored this concept quite a bit further, finding more and more to lend credence to Morslon¡¯s theory. If he was right, there may still be multiple related, but different, languages in this archaic tree. Again, if they even were languages. It also meant that there should be a source for the many varied derivatives. My own thoughts continue to be pulled back toward figuring out how to use these runes to make a damned bottomless bag. Using game knowledge, it would be a pocket dimension or something of that sort. Whether it was possible or not, I didn¡¯t know yet - nor would I know if I didn¡¯t at least explore the idea. Walking helped clear my head and just think about things. I strolled through the camps after I finished the first movie, leaving my argenti to handle the rest. One night, halfway between the hills and mountains, I came across a spirited game being played by some soldiers well away from my camp. Money changed hands frequently, with one lucky guy winning most of the rounds. I pulled up a stool to watch the games, unaccustomed to the rules or how it was played. They greeted me warmly, going so far as to extend an invite to me out of courtesy. ¡°Appreciate the offer, but I do not know the game,¡± I said. ¡°Watch and learn, Lord Commander Sully,¡± the fortuitous soldier said. ¡°If you want to learn how to win at swords, spears, and shields that is.¡± ¡°That cretin will show you how to rutting cheat, my lord.¡± The group of them shared in raucous laughter. The game involved some skill, luck of the dice, and quite a bit of bluffing. Each die was in the shape of a pentagonal prism; five sided and long. Pips for one, two, four, and five were represented with the remaining side showing a crude sword shape. Dice were rolled in the middle of the play area, one per person, remaining visible in the ¡®mercenaries¡¯. Each player rolled two dice in a cup, also called a ¡®shield¡¯, keeping them hidden. A round of betting followed this first ¡®shield phase¡¯; the term for player dice turns. Then players could trade dice in the center of the table, costing more coin each successive round, until a single person passed the option to do so. Any traded die remained shown instead of being hidden beneath their shield cup. A second shield phase followed with another two dice under a cup, then betting and another trade. Then the third shield phase and standard follow up. Players placed a single coin in their fourth and final cup with a single die. The coin could be any denomination and provided some advantage I didn¡¯t quite understand. Seeing silver or gold revealed in a cup was rare for a game with standard bets of bits and copper. A last round of betting happened before every player revealed their ¡®army¡¯. That same soldier won this game as well, rewarded with the pot and a round of cursing. ¡°Easy my lord,¡± he said. Looking at the table the method of scoring still eluded me. Shielded dice were worth more than mercenary dice and swords were worth more than five, I think. ¡°Swords and shields you have explained. What about spears?¡± One of the soldiers stood one of them on its end and gestured toward it, ¡°That is a spear, my lord. It is valued higher than swords.¡± ¡°Seems like it might be a rare occurrence.¡± ¡°It is. Can not buy them from mercs, so you can never tell who is hiding one. This lucky rutter manages to pull a spear every game,¡± he said, using a short form of mercenaries. Listening to them more and more, I began to realize they had a different manner of speaking or wholly different dialect than what I learned. Their accents were even distinctly different. The winner shrugged, ¡°Stole a bit of the caravaneer''s luck, I did.¡± ¡°Rutting bastard showed up with a king¡¯s mark and refused to lose since,¡± said one of the losers, supported by agreements from the others. King¡¯s mark was another term for a gold coin. Rare among these men and women to be sure. ¡°Mind if I see the coin, soldier?¡± He plucked the coin from the table, next to a spear die. It had been used in his final cup¡¯s wager. ¡°Did not steal it my lord,¡± he said, quavering. ¡°Promise.¡± My eyes widened with the realization. The coin bore a stylized engraving of my initials. Rubbing my thumb across the inscription I could feel a faint tingle of energy. It wasn¡¯t radiating nearly the power of my grimoire, but it was there all the same. ¡°Take me to who you got this from,¡± I said, not looking up. ¡°It is not¡­ I did not,¡± he stammered. His stool fell, pulling my eyes up from the gold coin. Drinks, dice, and coins all tumbled through the air as he kicked the table in protest. My guard detail, whom I rarely thought much about, held him by the arms. Chapter 15 ¡°What? No, that is not necessary,¡± I said. ¡°I do not believe he stole this coin. What I need is to speak with the person who gave it to him.¡± Silence and stillness. ¡°Release him at once,¡± I ordered. They let him go immediately. Perhaps he had been about to flee or they had apprehended him in an attempt to anticipate my will. Whatever the case, I couldn¡¯t really be upset at any of them. Or, I could, but there was really no point. Addressing the remaining soldiers, I placed a silver on the table for each of them. ¡°Apologies for breaking up your game. It was not my intention. I promise he will return shortly.¡± ¡°Feel free to keep him as long as you need, my lord. We might get some wins while he¡¯s gone.¡± Surrounded by my detail, we walked with Sir Lucks-a-lot leading the way. I cracked myself up at the name, doing nothing to help settle the soldier¡¯s nerves. My laughter tapered off as I thought about what he must be worrying about. ¡°This is where we played, lord. He should be around here somewhere.¡± A few calls for the caravan leader brought him out, eyebrows raised at the sight of us. The sight of me, really. I knew it was my height and probably some of what he may have heard of me. ¡°Good evening. This fine soldier told me he acquired this coin from you,¡± I said, holding the coin up. ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°It is, your lordship.¡± ¡°Excellent. Would you mind telling me if you received it from a minister in Orya.¡± ¡°I¡­ I did,¡± he whimpered. ¡°Swear it came from them.¡± I longed for the days when I could gesticulate to communicate again in so many ways. Trying to calm someone down without hand motions was alien and bizarre. Any attempt would probably be misread, as I assumed many of my gestures were. ¡°After visiting Kuriy¡¯s shrine I presume?¡± ¡°Y.. yes. How could you know that, Lord Sully?¡± He actually knew my name as well. I would need to remember to properly account for a high enough fame or renown stat when I finally got around to writing up my character sheet. ¡°My initials,¡± I said, pointing at the inscription. ¡°I had offered it as tribute there myself.¡± ¡°And the coin of prosperity finds its way back to you, even as we travel the great god Kuriy¡¯s own roads. Truly, you must be blessed.¡± I cringed at the word. ¡°It still belongs to this soldier actually,¡± I corrected. To show that this was the case, I returned it to the soldier. ¡°I would like to hear of your experiences since receiving the coin.¡± ¡°Certainly!¡± He beamed. The story he told began at the temple where he made an offering and prayed to Kuriy, as suspected. Throughout our first week on the road, his days were typical. Not good or bad, just another day as a caravan leader. In small ways at first, his luck steadily improved. Finding an item that had been lost for months under a wagon seat. Picking up random coppers. Spilling food that had spoiled, preventing him from accidentally eating it. Another rugged roadsman paid back an old debt and the two made amends. ¡°Then I picked up another gold coin on the road during our stop for the day. It was wedged between the cobblestones.¡± ¡°Which is when you figured your luck had changed?¡± ¡°That is the right of it, my lord. Never been much for gambling, myself. After that though, I wanted to try my hand at it. Had a good run of it too.¡± ¡°And you eventually lost your lucky coin to this soldier?¡± ¡°Lucky coin? Nay, I lost some money. My good fortune though, it is a gift from the gods themselves. Even now. I have been granted the opportunity to meet the great Lord Sully the Demonslayer.¡± I smiled, albeit awkwardly, in response to the intended compliment. It was too soon to know if that was true or not, but I believed it to be tied to the coin. What I did not know was why. ¡°I appreciate you sharing that with me. This is for your troubles,¡± I said, handing the caravaneer and the soldier each a silver. ¡°See! My luck continues.¡± I bid both men a good evening and made my way back to camp. The soldier chose to travel a different route back to his camp. Not that I could blame him given what he seemingly expected would transpire at first. If my argenti weren¡¯t busy, I would have told them what happened immediately. Instead, I wrote it all down in my journal. Their luck could be an imposed view on random occurrences; a coincidence. We often perceive the world around us through a specific bias. Optimists tend to focus on the good, and pessimists focus on the bad. Perhaps they were both just being positive. No matter how much I tried to convince myself of that idea, it would not stick. Contemplating the will and actions of higher powers, and their existence in general, did not fit with my current worldview. The notion made me nauseous. It is much easier for me to ignore the possibility that there are such beings, than wondering why they would do¡­ anything. With longer nights, it felt later than it was. Sleep often evaded me for a time, so I went to work on the damned bag project. That is to say I read, wrote, and postulated without doing much of anything until I was exhausted. After our morning routines, we set off again. The trip itself wasn¡¯t bad, to be fair. When we left Orya I was not sure what to expect, but this level of comfort and ease was not it. Paved roads had been a nice surprise considering how long they lasted. I told both of them about my encounter the night prior. Dorstark¡¯s response was as expected; people place their faith in superstitions. Morslon was inquisitive, but indifferent. Thankfully that conversation had not dragged on. Days later we reached another small waystation at a crossroads. The well worn path of hard packed earth split off to the east and west. Our path was due south. We passed through the outpost at the foot of the mountains, leaving the northern lands of Norvos well behind us. The trip through the mountain roads took days. Longer than I had expected. Soaring peaks and walls of stone maintained an ominous, almost oppressive presence. Still, they were leagues better than the frequently perilous cliffs and sheer drops. I did my best not to look out of the carriage most of the time. Not that I am afraid of heights, it just made me uneasy when the blinds were all open. One side would be a rock face and the other would be open sky. I felt as if the stone itself lived and wished to be rid of us tiny pests. Each night I slept in the carriage, unable to actually set up our tents. My argenti chose to not sleep in such a confined space. Not that I could blame them, knowing how often I woke myself up. Most others had to sleep under the stars after their grueling day on foot. I did not envy their situation in the slightest. At least in my fancy box on wheels I could pretend that the noises and howls were only the wind. The city of Gorn waiting for us on the other side was such a welcome sight. One more night of camping in the mountains before we would parade through the city the following afternoon. Because it was a parade, I decided to ride a horse through the city. Nespolan graciously offered her largest horse, further accentuating my abnormal height. The magnificent creature was too large for most of them to ride and was the largest horse I had ever seen. A couple failed attempts at properly mounting the damned thing later and I decided I would have to change. There was probably a right way to get into the saddle while wearing a robe, but I couldn¡¯t be bothered to ask anyone. I threw on some jeans under the robes, then cut a long slit in the front and back. Good enough. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The High Commander and I rode at the front of the endless column as we entered the city with our entourages trailing. Norvosian banners and pennants flapped in the winds coming off the mountains from our backs. More than once I nearly waved to the small children who jockeyed for the best vantage point. Further behind, nobles rode horses or in their carriages. Following them were the mounted knights. After the knights, thousands upon thousands of Norvosian soldiers marched on foot. Their precession would take hours to pass through the city. The main road through Gorn, and the city itself, gently sloped down from the mountains. From high atop the horse I could see straight to the city gates. Tall buildings rose on either side of the broad road, obscuring my view of this part of the city. Further south though, I could see beyond their tops to the rest of the city. A wall hugged the city, meeting the mountainside to the east and west. I only knew this from reading about it and could see most of the southern portion of the fortification. If I had to guess, which I did, it was just over four kilometers from one gate to the other. Gorn was at least a couple times larger than Orya had been. In a way, that made sense when I thought about it more. We were nearing the heart of the Norvosian kingdom. Anyone wanting to travel through the mountains would want to take this route to avoid the additional weeks it would take to go around, or risk going a less travelled path through them. As usual, I knew I resembled a bobblehead - constantly nodding instead of my customary gesture. Nespolan did so less than a tenth as much, so I decided to reign it in a bit. People gawked and spoke to one another as I rode past, dominating their attention. My unnamed horse pranced along the street, glad to be free of its drafting duties. I couldn¡¯t be sure of that of course. It just felt right. Having never been much of an equestrian, I could only estimate its height to be somewhere above twenty hands. Taller than I was at its withers. Nespolan, riding just ahead of me, is only slightly taller than her horse¡­ which is saying something. This meant that, mounted as we are right now, her head was roughly just above my waist. There was no way that anyone in the march, or along the streets, could not see me. The top of my head peaked above everything, save the buildings and maybe a couple of our largest coaches. Maybe. My giant black stallion might have loved it just as much as I did. It was perfectly absurd. Of the limited amount of things I have done in my new world, this parade was by far the most fun to date. Noble civility be damned, I laughed. We exited the southern gate about an hour after entering from the north. With plenty of daylight left we set up camp just outside the city for a couple days before continuing our trek. After the last inn, I had about as much desire to stay at an inn as I did to stab myself with a rusty fork. Hard pass. Morslon didn¡¯t even suggest it, thankfully. A lively debate kicked up before nightfall about whether or not to continue our movie night this close to the town. Volk and Dorstark were opposed. Morslon and I were for it. Nespolan abstained. Movie nights would continue as I decided my vote would be a tiebreaker on the matter. Then we debated whether people from within the city itself would be allowed to join in. I saw no reason not to and made the executive decision that we should with no one strongly opposing the idea. A visit to my quartermaster with Volk was in order. Or, I decided it was anyway. Everyone in my small army would be better equipped, more comfortable, more well fed, and hopefully better trained than the average Norvosian soldier if I could help it. He already had the coin I¡¯d given him before and now he had some work to do with it. Each of them would be awarded a five silver bonus to enjoy their free time in Gorn - in shifts, of course. I added that amount to what they had already. It only set me back about thirteen gold. Nespolan was still covering their wages until I would eventually leave Videm too. Things like that would help keep it all in perspective that I am rather wealthy now. That settled, we ventured back into town before dusk. Our first stop was to purchase white fabric specifically for a movie screen, which was easy enough and didn¡¯t take long. ¡°Is there any way we could make money buying goods here and selling them in Videm?¡± I asked my argenti. ¡°There likely is, however I fear that I must admit my ignorance in such matters. Little of my time has been spent among, or studying, merchants and traders,¡± Dorstark said. ¡°As he said, it is likely. You could probably ask one of the caravan leaders or traders traveling with us for their counsel,¡± Morlson offered. ¡°Why would they help me earn money?¡± He shrugged. ¡°Offer them a share in the bounty or pay them outright.¡± ¡°That is¡­ a great idea, actually.¡± I actually thought of the perfect person. Not that I knew anything about him, but the one who lost the coin was really the only one I knew. That was enough for him to be the ideal, and only, candidate. ¡°Suggestions about who I should talk to about it?¡± Both shook their heads. ¡°Alright, I have someone in mind then. We can talk to him later tonight or tomorrow though.¡± A list of ¡®things to buy¡¯ hadn¡¯t been made and I couldn¡¯t think of anything else at the moment we needed. We had plenty of supplies that Nespolan provided. My quartermaster would be purchasing additional goods too. The involuntary guests even had plenty of spare clothes from their camp. We strolled through one of the market squares, looking at stalls. What would be profitable to sell in Videm? Window shopping gave me no insight whatsoever. Each person attempted to hawk whatever wares they were slinging, of course, so it¡¯s not like they would be of any help. They would try to pawn their whole stand of goods if I asked for their input. Eventually we stumbled across a bookstore that reminded me of the little esoteric shop I had worked for. The slight hint of vanilla and the musk of old texts greeted me as I entered. Nearly any combination of ¡®bookish¡¯ smells were among my favorites. With my argenti¡¯s help, we selected some twenty-odd books. They were all manuscripts I did not have copies of yet. The only other things I purchased were a bunch more blank texts. That was it for our first trip out. I hired a carriage for half a silver worth of coppers to bring us back out to our camp so we would not have to carry everything. Watching the buildings and people pass by, something struck me as weird. ¡°Are those skane?¡± They looked out the window to see the group I was gesturing toward before nodding. All skane I had seen thus far were smaller orcish lizard creatures, and they were various green or brown hues. Mini-orcs or large goblins really. These were all grey and stood the same height as most of the humans around them, some were taller. Stranger yet, there were also others even smaller than the mini-orcs. Proper goblins¡­ But scaly and at least fifty shades of¡­ ashen, dusky, and iron shades. ¡°Why are all the skane with us green? I had seen some that were brown in Orya. Didn¡¯t see any in Korolm. And why are these bigger and smaller?¡± ¡°Nespolan prefers that particular breed of them. The Nes family has been hatching them, exclusively, for generations. They are¡­ better, perhaps, than most other tribes and lineages,¡± Dorstark said. ¡°Hatching them?¡± ¡°Yes, how else do you believe baby skane would come into existence?¡± ¡°Do we need to teach you about the ways of the world, Sully?¡± Morslon jibed. I silenced him with a steely gaze. Truth was, I didn¡¯t know. ¡°How am I supposed to know if they are any different than I would expect? Reptiles can give live birth. So, tell me about them. Please.¡± ¡°As you already know, they are a savage species. They were once rather abundant in most lands. Nuisances that plagued civilized regions. Prolific creatures. Every spring they all lay a small clutch of eggs.¡± ¡°Wait, what do you mean they all lay eggs?¡± ¡°Exactly that. Each and every adult lays a few eggs on average.¡± ¡°Every adult? How?¡± ¡°See, we do need to have the talk,¡± Morslon said with a chuckle. ¡°I understand how babies are made. ¡®Damnit.¡¯ What I do not know is how both sexes could accomplish the feat.¡± ¡°Oh. That is rather simple. They are of one single sex and do not need a mate to breed.¡± ¡°So their offspring are all basically copies then?¡± There wasn¡¯t a word for ¡®clone¡¯. With no other genetic parent, it was the only thing that made sense. We had creatures like that back home too. It just was not common. ¡°Maintaining a line should be rather easy then, right?¡± ¡°Not as simple to answer that, unfortunately. They can go through processes of metamorphosis and may mutate over their lifespan as well. It is not uncommon for them to adapt or change within their eggs either.¡± That made absolutely no sense to me. I gestured for him to elaborate. ¡°Out there, you saw three variations of the skane. They have quite a few according to the little I know about them. Some significantly taller than yourself, if those stories are to be believed.¡± ¡°How could they adapt or change though?¡± ¡°Depends on their surroundings. If you place a skane with a group of another breed, they may emerge in the spring more closely resembling the others. Sometimes wholly changing within a single season.¡± Dorstark gestured back out the window, though we had well passed them already. ¡°The skane of Gorn were a tribe of them which dwelt in these mountains long ago. Rather popular too.¡± Alright, definitely adding books on skane to the list. ¡°And the tribes originally from Orya¡¯s region were brown?¡± ¡°No, actually. Those are said to have been stunning whites and bluish hues. They were more violent than most. I have never seen one, nor has anyone living I suspect. It is my belief that the climate there is far too cold for the creatures, given their tendency to hibernate during much of the winter in many regions¡± ¡°Why are they brown then?¡± ¡°Imported from somewhere else. Good swimmers according to the Mors.¡± Morslon nodded in agreement. ¡°Okay. Next question, how does the Nes family maintain their line if they change so easily?¡± ¡°They sell them off or use them first for rejuvenations when that happens.¡± ¡°How are they special?¡± ¡°The Nes line of skane are stronger and hardier than most. Of the lines I have encountered, they are also the most docile, servile, and¡­ smart is not the correct word for it. Attentive may be better suited.¡± ¡°And what happens if someone else chooses to breed their same line, or use it to improve their own?¡± ¡°That too is a simple solution. They are sterilized before any transactions are made. It is not a guarantee that others will not adopt some of their aspects, but few are ever sold anyway. They provide significantly less during rejuvenations, thus many are required for that purpose alone.¡± Holy balls, or lack thereof, that¡¯s harsh. I had no proof that they are anything more than livestock, as I have been repeatedly informed, but they are humanoid. I felt bad for their lot in this world. What if they were just a tribal species? Did that give others the right to upend their simple way of life and enslave them? It wasn¡¯t right to me no matter the case. There was however, quite literally, nothing I could do about it though. Study them and learn more. That would have to be the extent of it. For now. Chapter 16 Normally the solar panel securely sat atop the carriage with a convoluted array of padding underneath and ropes keeping it in place. At the first sign of inclement weather it was taken down or covered in more blankets and tarps. I needed to keep everything charged up after all, especially while on the road. With the extended camp setup, the solar panel was placed outside my tent with posts and ropes to keep anyone away from it. The guards would do their duty in keeping people away. Still, mitigating risks would help me prolong the life of all my tech in my new world. Which is why I packed it away every night as well. Canvas flapping and the sounds of camp life stirred me awake. I wanted to get an early-ish start if we were going to tackle this potential mercantile endeavor in earnest. After my morning meal with the troops, and a second breakfast with the company of captives, we set out to find the caravan leader I had spoken with. I should have gotten his name, but neglected to last time. Dorstark was able to narrow down our search from my description. My argenti had spoken with all of them after the incident in Korolm. Thank the gods for small favors. I groaned at the thought of the gods. To be fair, it might not hurt to continue hedging my bets in that regard. Loathe as that whole topic was for me. Even with our smaller pool of possible people we were looking for, it took us hours to find the man. As we walked into an area of camp with one of the potentials, he cheered my arrival. ¡°Fine morning, Lord Sully!¡± ¡°Indeed it is. I must admit, it is a bit windy for my liking,¡± I said, rubbing my hand on my fuzz covered head. At least there wasn¡¯t a bunch of hair being blown around. ¡°What brings you to our humble camp?¡± ¡°Actually, I wanted to speak with you again.¡± He bowed his head. ¡°Always at your disposal.¡± Knowing how people were actually ¡®disposed of¡¯ here, I cringed inside. My face dutifully betrayed nothing. ¡°Firstly, I am afraid that I had not received your name when last we met.¡± ¡°My¡­ I¡­ Apologies, my lord. Kup, caravan leader extraordinaire and humble servant of Norvos,¡± he said with a deep bow. ¡°Pleasure, Kup. I believe you have met one or both of my argenti, Dorstark and Morslan,¡± I said, gesturing to each in turn. ¡°Yes, I have been so fortunate as to meet both. Now, I am certain you are a busy noble. What brings your lordship to grace us this day?¡± ¡°I am looking to invest in goods to be traded in Videm.¡± ¡°Always a good prospect to grow one¡¯s wealth when opportunities present themselves. What need you have of me then? If you do not mind me asking, my lord,¡± he said. Kup¡¯s words didn¡¯t quite match up with the knowing grin. ¡°I would like to hire you to help me in this venture.¡± ¡°You certainly have my interest. Would you like me to oversee your wagons for the rest of our journey then?¡± ¡°More, actually. I need someone to help advise me on what should be purchased, arrange the deals, and potentially assist in selling it all in Videm.¡± ¡°That is quite an ask, Lord Sully. I have numerous wagons to oversee as it is,¡± he boasted. ¡°I might be able to make some time to help you select some goods however. What would be my payment?¡± Well, he was certainly shrewd. I would have to grant him that. Hopefully I could purchase the use of that skill as well. ¡°In addition to my gratitude?¡± I joked. ¡°Begging your pardon, my lord,¡± Kup said, still smiling. He knew we were dancing to a song of his liking now. ¡°Much as I would like to agree to that, gratitude will not haul my burdens, nor will it feed my family.¡± ¡°Of course, that is understandable. I would like to offer you a share of the profits as well as a flat fee before we depart Gorn.¡± He thought about it for a moment, or pretended to at least. ¡°How much of an investment would we be working with? And, more importantly, how much would you be so generous as to share with me?¡± I had prepared for this negotiation and plan already, discussing it at length with my argenti. Their advice had been great. It had taken some convincing that it would be worth the risk to invest quite a bit. By the end of it, I wasn¡¯t sure who had convinced whom of what. ¡°Five hundred should be enough.¡± Kup looked pleased with the amount. ¡°That much gold will fill some wagons, certainly.¡± ¡°Actually, Kup. I was thinking more along the lines of five hundred platinum.¡± That almost made him choke. ¡°My lord¡­ Fifteen thousand gold! That is more than enough. I am not sure how we will purchase that many wagons and get them loaded before we leave.¡± ¡°I might be able to buy us one more day if needed. Only if it is absolutely necessary however. Think you can manage it?¡± His lips moved, silently repeating the number. I could see it rolling around in his head, considering what he had to gain from our deal. ¡°If anyone can manage it, that would be me. Praise Kuriy!¡± Kup ran up and hugged me. I was at a loss from the gesture. It was the most personal thing anyone had done since arriving in my new world. The next closest was when I first met Nespolan. The embrace was brief and friendly. Can¡¯t say I was at all upset about it. Honestly, hugs are great and I only now realized how much I missed them. ¡°Dorstark will help you with everything. He has access to my funds and can handle the accounting side of things.¡± ¡°Most excellent! With that large of a budget, we must get to work immediately.¡± ¡°We will keep you notified, Lord Sully,¡± Dorstark said. Morslon and I returned to my tent, intending to get some more digital scriptorium work done. What ended up happening was not even close to my goals for the day. One messenger after another arrived, each bearing notes and messages from Kup and Dorstark. At least five an hour or so. An endless stream of updates, approval requests, and expense reports. They showed up during both lunches and both dinners too. For a moment I wondered how much all the mundane communication would have cost, but Dorstark had taken to using some of my soldiers to be runners. He also made a request to use a significant number of them to help guard the gold and goods once deals were made. I approved it, of course. Annoyingly, this pattern continued until dusk. Perhaps I should have been thankful that it ended at all. They were good problems to have, really. First-fantasy-world problems. As many had begun to, I looked forward to each evening¡¯s entertainment. Tonight, I debated playing a non-animated movie for the first time. The three of us had decided that playing ¡®live action¡¯ movies, of any setting, might be unsettling for some. As a medium, animation was great for what I was doing. Typically bright colors and more simple graphics by comparison. Each evening was still different. There could be hundreds of nights with continuous entertainment without repeating, even restricting showings to just that type of content. Nope. Stay the course. Instead of a kid flick, I selected something a bit more adult for the first time; visceral and violent. That should be a fun change of pace and a shock for the crowd. A supernatural hunter and his cleric sidekick; great series. Also for the first time, we would use a series rather than a movie. Four episodes in the first season with a total run time of around two hours. A bit on the longer side. Without needing to set up much tonight, or break camp in the morning, six hours total would be fine. We managed to cram in nearly double the number of people as usual. The section of nobles alone quintupled, which was always the majority of the income anyway. Cha-ching! More than once I wondered what it was like, watching something without voice dubbing or subtitles in their language. Like a silent film without the text and not actually being silent. Really, nothing at all like a silent film I suppose. Dorstark arrived during the last showing. We went over the process for the night and I showed him how to queue up all four files, in the proper order. ¡°We will need to get an early start tomorrow, Sully.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Kup has placed most of the orders already and is arranging the final details. The man is rather remarkable. Excellent choice in hiring him.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. All that sounded like good news, even if they didn¡¯t need my direct help. ¡°Why does it sound like I also need to be up early?¡± ¡°You will need to speak with the High Commander to give us another day before leaving Gorn.¡± ¡°I said that with the hope we would not need to do it.¡± ¡°We will need every last moment of that extra day, I assure you.¡± ¡°Alright. Going to bed then. Enjoy the show,¡± I said, turning away and heading straight to bed. I wasn¡¯t a late riser, nor was I the first one awake in camp. Ever. Alarms weren¡¯t a thing I had utilized here, until now. With my headphones in, I drifted off to sleep listening to some of my favorite music. It was the first time I used my phone while sleeping since leaving Orya. The change was undeniable. My dreams, still nightmarish from what I recalled after waking up to the alarm, were lessened in severity and significance. I woke in the pre-dawn light more refreshed than I had at any point after faceless gods haunted the halls of my subconscious. There was the possibility that I was growing accustomed to them. Sure. I¡¯d keep this minor victory as my own and chalk it up to great tunes. Another win for me. Nespolan was easy to find after my morning routine. She would be in her own command tent, reviewing supply information. I was allowed entry by the guards without needing to announce my presence. ¡°Pleasant morning Nespolan.¡± She looked up from the papers scattered about in front of her. ¡°And a pleasant morning to you as well, my friend. What brings you by to see me so early?¡± I sat across from her. ¡°Are we? Friends, that is.¡± ¡°I would like to think so. We have shared many more meals and thoughts, as I expected we would while travelling.¡± She frowned, the lines of age making deep crevices in her face. ¡°Do you believe that not to be the case?¡± ¡°Not at all. I was thinking of your earlier words about exactly that and wondered at what point one would know such a thing.¡± ¡°I fear that I would not be able to mark a specific time or date.¡± She paused. ¡°Shortly after leaving Korolm perhaps.¡± I nodded, ¡°Might have been before that for me, if not the night of the incident. You rushed in and showed true concern for my well being. That is something I will never forget.¡± ¡°If I had been there sooner, during your battle, I might have settled the score by saving your life.¡± Nespolan laughed, reshaping her face to one of happiness. She wore such opposing visages it seemed. One, an incredible glow of joy that brought my grandfather to mind. The other a seasoned plateau of stoicism, through which one could shield themselves of any soul piercing atrocities. It was impossible for me to study her face when it changed so drastically. She fascinated me. What has she seen during her many years? Dorstark was older, but he hid himself more often. That may not be true either. Perhaps he was just more reserved. At any rate, I had been staring at her long enough for an eyebrow to raise as her demeanor changed to one of curiosity. ¡°Do you fear that you would lose your newfound status as a noble if that had come to pass?¡± ¡°What? No. Not at all.¡± Or did I? Hadn¡¯t really considered it before. ¡°Maybe? I am not sure¡­¡± ¡°Quite the answer.¡± Shaking it off, I needed to get to my question and let her get back to work. ¡°Right. Well, I was hoping to ask a favor of you.¡± ¡°The horse, right? I saw you had taken a liking to it. The creature suits you. It will be sent to your stablemaster before we leave.¡± She looked genuinely pleased with herself with the gift. ¡°Oh. The horse? Thank you Nespolan.¡± I smiled from ear to ear. It was an awesome steed. ¡°Think nothing of it. I fear that I must return to these reports however. Once back in Videm I must requisition another whole team of scholars and advisors to join my artegi to replace Dorstark.¡± That stung. ¡°I apologize for putting you at a disadvantage¡­¡± ¡°Unnecessary. There are no apologies needed. Dorstark is his own person and made the choice freely. A decision I endorsed happily, though he had not needed my approval.¡± ¡°You have others too I thought. I have met some of your artegi and seen many others.¡± ¡°I do. About twenty with me. Ten times that in Videm. More scattered across my estates.¡± My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. ¡°That many? I had not realized.¡± She stood, extending her hand to clasp my wrist - signaling she really did need me to leave. ¡°I am filled with both joy and sorrow in admitting that you have one of the best I have ever had the honor of counting among my artegi.¡± Well, damn. That is rather heavy to consider. Nespolan had a small artegi army, and Dorstark was elite among them. It also put things into perspective a bit more as I considered the implications. She is a royal. Her power in this world was not in slinging spells. She wields a great military, is supported by an array of advisors, and commands the respect of Norvos. Compared to that, what am I? Her hand hung between us, awaiting me to respond. ¡°Oh. That was not actually the favor I came to ask.¡± ¡°Please, ask me what you have come to,¡± she said, still standing. ¡°I must finish preparations for us to leave tomorrow.¡± ¡°That is what I came to talk to you about actually. I will need another day in Gorn,¡± I blurted. ¡°If that is possible.¡± That brought her to sitting again, ¡°By the favored gods, thank you. Yes. Granted. We shall leave a day later.¡± ¡°Just like that? No questions for me? No explanation required?¡± ¡°We are taking in many more nobles, adding hordes more in Gorn than we had in Korolm. All of them have their own accompaniments and supplies for them. Yet, I prepare for the worst and am acquiring more than enough for the entire caravan. This is a great favor to me.¡± ¡°You could have made the decision without my request. Right?¡± ¡°Yes, that would have been possible. I am not one to delay for my own reasons. Your demand to do so allows me to agree to it.¡± ¡°It was not a demand.¡± ¡°That is what I must tell the other nobles who will no doubt inquire as to our schedule change.¡± ¡°So, the blame is shifted to me?¡± She shrugged, ¡°In a way.¡± ¡°Sounds like exactly the way it is.¡± ¡°You have your additional day, as do I. There was no debate over it and the cost is relatively minor. You do technically outrank everyone in the caravan, save myself.¡± ¡°Did that once already.¡± A long period of silence passed between us. The stern facade of a general bore into me. If I could melt into a puddle, I would do it right now. Nespolan barked in laughter, cutting through the tension. ¡°That you did, my friend. That you did.¡± Royal or not, she would be on my payback list if I could prank her well enough one day. ¡°May I ask why you need another day?¡± ¡°I decided to make an investment and bring goods back with us to sell in Videm.¡± ¡°Clever,¡± she said with an air of parental pride and approval. ¡°Would have made more of a profit if you had done so back in Orya.¡± ¡°Damnit,¡± I quietly condemned myself. That would have been a great idea. No use in crying over what I could not go back to change. C¡¯est la vie. ¡°Yes, it would have been a great idea back there.¡± ¡°What are you buying up?¡± ¡°To be honest, not sure. Hired a caravan leader to lead the charge on that front with Dorstark watching over it all.¡± ¡°Again, good call involving your artegi. The man¡¯s mind is like a vault with numbers and money.¡± She thumbed through the papers a bit, looking over a couple. ¡°How much of your available funds are you utilizing?¡± ¡°Fifteen thousand gold.¡± ¡°That is a significant amount. It will mean many, many more wagons being added to the march,¡± she groaned. ¡°I have a proposition for you, and a suggestion.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I would suggest you purchase a great deal of refined ingots, iron and precious metals, as a priority over other goods. My proposition is that you allow me to invest as well.¡± ¡°How much do you want to put in? And why metal?¡± ¡°I have it on good authority that the king may be interested in purchasing a great deal more metal,¡± she said. If she were rubbing her hands together, it would complete the image of a plotter. ¡°Your investment will be matched by my own.¡± That sounded a lot like insider trading or something. Not quite so illegal here perhaps, and yet it still feels weird. There also probably weren¡¯t investment markets like that in this world. With that thought, I made a mental note to check into it. If there weren¡¯t such markets, I might want to introduce this world to them. Insurance, banking, and auction houses too. Oh how I wish there were in-game auction houses in this not-at-all gamelike reality. I made tons of money that way when I played online. ¡°Good authority, eh? Alright. What is the catch?¡± ¡°The catch?¡± ¡°I meant, what else? Sounds too good to be true.¡± ¡°Nothing else. You handle it all and we will share profits from my investment.¡± ¡°I handle the work, you make money. Alright, fair enough.¡± ¡°You will also have the benefit of my soldiers protecting them all. As with every other wagon, there will be at least one or two riding along.¡± Despite all the forces we had with us, I had been considering hiring a mercenary company to do just that. If I could have found one. ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°Excellent! I will have it brought to your tent. Oh, and you will have two additional days given the extra capital.¡± That sounded awesome, at first. It hit me a heartbeat later that I would be blamed for the delay. ¡°Fuck¡­ I¡¯m not going to be making any friends among the nobles anytime soon.¡± ¡°Yeah, thanks for that,¡± I said, rolling my eyes. ¡°Try not to have too much fun with the paperwork.¡± My parting words earned me a bonus grumble as I left her tent. I had to update Dorstark and Kup, neither of whom I expected to be overly enthused with the idea of doubling the task in front of them. The elder mage was, as anticipated, not pleased with the addition. I didn¡¯t think he was anyway. He didn¡¯t seem upset, per se. Nor did he jump for joy. Kup however did dance a little jig. Doubling the total amount would mean more money in his pocket, so I could understand that. Money can be an excellent motivator. I gave them the update that they were to purchase as many metal ingots as we could find, or however many we could afford. Surely it wouldn¡¯t be illegal for Nespolan to give me some advice like that. Right? Whatever the case, it wasn¡¯t important right now. This merchant quest of mine was entrusted to them. They set about their tasks for the day with¡­ Well, Kup had a pep in his step. Dorstark was dutiful. Morslon and I spent the rest of the day actually getting things done, thankfully. There were not near as many interruptions as yesterday. I invited the Duke of Gorn, his family, and guests to a private showing that night as well. They adored the novel form of entertainment, singing my praises afterward. Part of me wished I had thought to do the same for the Mors in Orya. The next couple days flew by. When not being productive, I spent time in Gorn. Perusing the markets and sampling the food. I did manage to pick up a slew of random things, including what I needed for another quest I needed to complete before leaving the city. Just for the sense of presence and presentation, I rode my new ginormous horse through the city with Morslon at my side on a normal sized mount. My horse would need a name, as did my sword still. It is said that all the best swords have names. I¡¯m not certain where that was said. Perhaps I had heard it somewhere. It was immensely entertaining, I had to admit that to myself. The looks and this sense of legend, being larger than life itself, felt incredible. A more key piece of honesty I reminded myself of was that it was all a show. I am not some great warrior or demon slayer. If there are giants, I am not one of them. I¡¯m a tall, scrawny nerd with some good luck, who also possesses otherworldly tech and knowledge. That¡¯s all. Not a chapter, just a poll and some words (There is a 500 minimum word requirement to post this, so it will end up being posted in the chapter body rather than "author notes".) So, I would first like to apologize for the lack of consistency on my posting schedule. I was really trying to stick to Tues & Fri, but life... happens. Aside life just being the blind-turn roller coaster that it is, I''m also having a bit of writer''s block. The best way around writer''s block is to just write though. I may write some pieces (''throwaway chapters'') from other character perspectives, or perhaps some Sully content, that I don''t have any intention of putting in the finished book. Some of those may have ''spoilers'' as well though, but wouldn''t really ''fit'' after that particular thing comes up in the story. The question is then, would you be interested in those things being posted here? There''s a poll below that I''ll check later. Some other thoughts: - I''ve debated for a long time about names & details for things and those may change over the course of this draft. The priests wearing masks is one such example that I''ve already moved toward. Scholars may become archivists. Things like that. I may also begin many chapters with a journal entry, or some other snippit, at some point. - I''m curious as to how readers feel about a great many things... My writing style, the use of languages & details in this story, pacing, etc. Hopefully we''ll get more engagement over time so I can get some feedback. Whether it validates or conflicts with my intentions may end up being wholly irrelevant, but I''m interested in knowing nonetheless. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.- I am trying to keep the story from being bogged down with minituae that I don''t believe readers would enjoy, or that slow progression too much. That said, I believe that I am a world builder first and a storyteller second. I''ve moved away from the intricate details of world building I had once been trapped in, as it was prohibitive to actually writing. - Originally I wanted to try writing this all in a single book, but I realized that the whole story arch would end up fitting better in a three book series given my writing style. That is even accounting for a great many things being trimmed up when it''s all finished. Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite writers of all time by the way. His ability to maintain character development, pacing, interesting settings, and a compelling story in a concise manner amazes me. His style (mastery of the craft aside) is just so different than my own. Hopefully you find some of that interesting. If people enjoy this sort of thing, I may share more of my thoughts on the process as I''m working through it. I also finally set up the PayPal donation button as well! Anyway, thanks again for reading! Be Excellent!