《A New Job》 My Old Job Prologue ¡°Al! We got anymore Filet Mignon left?!¡± I looked up from the ¡®ticket¡¯ line and turned to stare at one of my haggard looking waiters. We were one of the last restaurants that relied on printed orders. ¡°Ashley... I called ¡®86¡¯ filets an hour ago.¡± We had ran out the particular steak pretty damn hard, way before we even had a chance to realize we were running low, not a single backup to cover the ticket string. ¡°What?!¡± She growled, ¡° No one told me! I put in the course order half an hour ago, why didn¡¯t anyone come and tell me?!¡± ¡°Bullshit! You¡¯re one of the people I told first!¡± Shouted another waiter while running past us. ¡°No running!¡± I called after whoever that was, then turned to look one of the worst servers on my floor. ¡°Ash, just go to the table and find out if they are ok with a New York? Tell¡¯em they¡¯ll get the 18oz upgrade on us. It won¡¯t take long to send out since I got ¡®grill¡¯ to start a shit ton of them cause I know half of yall are deaf.¡± ¡°What if they don¡¯t want a New York?¡± ¡°Then offer the Porterhouse.¡± ¡°Fuck, really? Same price? And what if they don¡¯t want it?¡± She was starting to piss me off... again. ¡°They won¡¯t, not if they aren¡¯t completely stupid. Just the filet part of the T-bone is larger than the one they were going to get in the first place. You should know this already.¡± I grabbed a finished set of plates from the hot side of the ¡®line window¡¯ and practically tossed it at the nearest food runner. ¡°And if they are completely stupid, grab me and I¡¯ll do my groveling act.¡± ¡°Okay, fine.¡± She turned to rush back to her table, but I stopped the dumbass. ¡°At least take something out!¡± I said, shoving a loaded tray and tray jack into her arms. ¡°Table 34. Lamb, medium rare. French onion soup, no croutons. And the sea bass. Careful, hotplate on the lamb.¡± ¡°Shit, ok.¡± **** I heard someone walk into the small, cramped manager office. Most of the staff had gone home, or to a bar, including dishwashers that were usually the last of the non-salaried employees to leave. But, tonight was rough, and the head-waiter stayed back to help me close the restaurant. ¡°Heya Boss, everything¡¯s all good for the morning crew. I¡¯m scheduled back in at 4 again tomorrow. You¡¯ll be here too right? You¡¯re usually the mid-manager on Wednesdays.¡± I didn¡¯t look away from my laptop. The day¡¯s paperwork wasn¡¯t going to finish itself, but I laughed tiredly, ¡°Nope, finally got some approved time off from the owner. Going to see the grandkids in Vegas.¡± There was a slight pause. ¡°Shit... how long are you going to be gone for? And why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if it was going to be approved or not. So, just bought my tickets last night. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be gone too long. I¡¯ll be back in two weeks. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s... cool, hopefully the restaurant won¡¯t burn down before then. You¡¯re the only one keeping this place together, you know.¡± ¡°Haha, shut-it, the other managers are alright. A bit quirky, but they do their jobs fine.¡± ¡°Sure...Maybe... but things don¡¯t run as smoothly as they do when you¡¯re around.¡± ¡°Blarg, it¡¯s the industry. All the managers here have weak points, even me.¡± ¡°True, you¡¯re not as fast as you used to be, hah. But I wouldn¡¯t trust the rest with more power with you gone. In fact, a few of them shouldn¡¯t have the authority they already have.¡± ¡°Quiet you, they all went through the manager training. They all know their roles entail as well as the responsibilities they need to uphold.¡± ¡°Yet, you are the only one that isn¡¯t sleeping with an employee.¡± ¡®....¡¯ ¡°Yeah... I don¡¯t want to know.¡± Actually, I did , sort of want to know. I had suspected. But, still, this wasn¡¯t where I thought the conversation was going. ¡°You sure?! Did ya know Ashley had finally seduced-¡± ¡°Stop. Hell no. I don¡¯t want to know now.¡± God, there were only two other male managers. ¡®I was sure that girl prefered hotdogs instead of tacos.¡¯ And both of those guys I didn¡¯t really want to lose respect for. But... Ashley... Christ... Why?! That¡¯s like willing stick your junk in a blender, adding broken glass, and putting it on ¡®crush ice¡¯ mode.¡¯ ¡°-the dumb bitch gossips all the god damn time about how she got all the good tables because she suck-¡± ¡°I¡¯m ignoring youuuu... Trying to finish the nightly reportsss...¡± ¡°-and don¡¯t get me started on how Marrissa sank her old ass claws into that new bus boy! He¡¯s still in highschool!¡± ¡°Lalalalallalaaa, I hate doing paperworkk.... It¡¯s a pain in the assss...¡± ¡®Marrissa too!? ¡®Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Seriously though, the five other managers are a bunch of horny fuckers. And is the rest of the staff is abusing the crap out of that.¡± I was starting to get a little annoyed, at the other managers, and without really thinking I said, ¡°What about you? Are you sleeping with one of them?¡± There wasn¡¯t a response. ¡®Shit.¡¯ ¡°Crap, I didn¡¯t mean-¡± ¡°No.¡± I heard a drawn out chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m not sleeping with any of them. I would never.¡± I sighed, ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said that. Please forget the entire conversation-¡± ¡°You know.. Like..Them. The other managers. I would never sleep with any of the other managers. Never..¡± ¡®...¡¯ ¡°You though... that¡¯s another... uh.. ¡®.......¡¯ ¡°Anyways... Um., you know.... I know you like to use the community bikes to get to work.. uhh how about I wait and give you a ride? We could even get a drink a drink next door before heading out...¡± ¡®What...¡¯ I rubbed my face, slowly looked up from the desk and stared at the young, beautiful waitress standing in front of me. Samantha Walsh. She was, in my honest, unbiased, opinion, the restaurant¡¯s top employee. I had been the one to hire and then train her when she first applied as hostess nearly eight years ago. Since then, I¡¯ve taught her almost everything I knew about fine dining. A lot of the staff called her ¡®Alan¡¯s protege¡¯ and even ¡®Alan¡¯s Daughter.¡¯ ¡°How about it? We... uhh... haven¡¯t gone drinking together in a long time.. What? Like a uh.. not since the holidays right?¡± Normally, she was one of the most confident woman I¡¯ve ever known, always smiling brightly, standing tall, with clarity, strength and command in her voice. I was very proud of being part of her growth. ¡®My protege indeed...¡¯ Yet, right now she wasn¡¯t displaying any these traits. This was a Samantha I hadn¡¯t seen before, or... haven¡¯t seen in a long time. Sure, the long haired redhead was smiling. But, looking closer, there was a minute strain to keep those lips curved. Not only that, her excellent posture had taken a hit with a slight slouch. A hand resting over a fidgeting arm. A tapping foot . But most of all, her gorgeous pale green eyes told me of an uncertainty... A memory of young girl approaching her first table as an official waiter flashed through my mind. ¡°Sammy...¡± No one used that nickname for her out of respect. Only I was allowed that privalledge, though I rarely used it, and only when no one else was near. ¡°I.. uh.. I mean, only if you¡¯re almost done with closing, and um.. If you¡¯re fine with it, haha.¡± ¡®God damn the world.¡¯ I was nearing on living three times her life in years.. At the youthful age of 24, she had just received her Master¡¯s Degree in Hospitality and Management as well as completing her Level 3 Sommelier Certification. She was ready to take command of any luxury and/or fine dining establishment. ¡®Yet, what the fuck is she doing nervously propositioning to an old fucker like me. She isn¡¯t drunk, or high.¡¯ I almost wanted to just tell her to go home and forget about the whole thing. But, I felt like that¡¯d ruin our relationship. ¡®Not that any other option would produce better results.¡¯ ¡°Sammy, I¡¯m almost 60 years old. Fifty years ago, people retired at that age. I¡¯m about to visit my son and grandchildren, for goodness sake.¡± ¡°Exactly, fifty years ago. Now, our lifespans are almost twice as long.¡± ¡°Your lifespan. I¡¯m probably going to have a heart attack at 85.¡± ¡°They can print you a new heart; lungs, eyes and whatever other organs. ¡± ¡°I still look ancient.¡± ¡°You look like you just turned 40. There are also procedures available to rejuvenate cellular regeneration.¡± ¡°My hair is greying.¡± ¡°Buy fucking hair-color from any store! But please don¡¯t, I think the grey is sexy.¡± ¡°This is extremely inappropriate. I¡¯m your manager.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I just explain to you that the other mangers are fucking around with staff.¡± ¡°You¡¯re actually arguing with me. Why are you arguing with me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to get you to sleep with me!¡± ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°Because I love you! I¡¯ve been in love with you since I first started.¡± ¡°What. I¡¯ve basically acted as your father figure this entire time. Hell, you¡¯re basically the genetic daughter I never had.¡± ¡°I¡¯m into that! I¡¯ll call you Daddy if you want.¡± ¡°Oh. My. God.¡± I shut my laptop. ¡°I need to leave. Right now. I¡¯ll see you when I get back from my trip.¡± I quickly got up and slipped on my bag. Samantha grabbed my arm and got uncomfortably close. ¡°Alan! Let me take you home at least! It¡¯s pouring outside.¡± Nope, there was no way I was going to allow us more time alone in close quarters. Especially in a car. Heading toward my apartment. There was also this look in her eyes that I was doing my best to ignore. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea.¡± I made to go around her, but her grip tightened and she moved block me from the door. ¡°Samantha! What are you-¡± ¡°Alan, please... I finally said it... Just..¡± There it is. An emotion I¡¯ve never experienced from her before. Desperation. ¡°Daddy...¡± ¡°Yepp, leaving now.¡± As gently as possible... I ripped my appendage out of her grasp, shoved her out of the way and ran toward the exit. ¡®A young, smart, amazing woman like her should never act like that.¡¯ I was horrified by what had just occurred. And... maybe a little bit flattered... But mostly all around horrified. I pretty much bolted through the restaurants double doors and made my way onto the streets. Samantha knew how to lock up and set the security system, so I¡¯ll leave that to her. Hopefully, it¡¯ll give her enough alone time to calm down. My car was parked in a lot across the street. But to get to the crosswalk from this side, I needed walk down the block a little. Along the way were several bars, one in particular was probably servicing most of my staff tonight. ¡®A bunch of alcoholics they are...¡¯ I didn¡¯t feel like running into any of them if they were outside smoking a cig or something. So, ¡®Fuck it, I¡¯ll just cross here- *** The Paths We Walk Paths They Made Forward Clearing The Way A New Frontier * Alan S. Daproza Jr. Beloved Father, Grandfather Mentor, Friend And Leader November 8th, 1992 - July 10th, 2050 *** The Interview ¡®Wake up, I¡¯m not dead!¡¯ My eyes shot open. Blue skies and a bright-as-fuck sun. ¡®Holy shit, why does everything hurt- wait... nevermind, I feel fine.... Why do I feel fine?¡¯ I lifted my head and looked around. I was lying down on a ... dirt road? Not pavement or concrete. But actual dirt and pebbles. The grass a couple feet from either side of me looked purposely trimmed back. I pushed myself off the ground. Apparently my ears haven''t been working or something because I was suddenly bombarded with a slew of noises. Metal clanging, sawing, people talking and shouting. ¡°Shit!¡± I looked all around me. ¡°Where the fuck am I?!¡± I was surrounded by weird buildings. They were all old looking... archaic, but also new at the same time. Most being only a single story and none above two. They were made from simple brick and mortar with large wooden frames. ¡°What the fuck...¡± Wooden carts, barrels, hay bails, goddamn chickens... ¡®Is that a horse?¡¯ ¡°Hey, boy! The hell are you doing just standing there. Get out of the way.¡± Came a gruff voice from behind me. Turning around, I found what was probably the toughest looking old man I¡¯ve ever seen. He towered over me by over two heads. The brown (wool?) tunic and pants he wore seemed to just barely contain the several pounds of pure muscles... ¡°Why are you flexing?¡± The guy had a massive tree trunk in one arm. But the empty one was going through different ¡®buff guy¡¯ poses. People in the background, who were also wearing similar clothes, were starting to stare as well. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± The old man replied while lowering into a forward right leg lunge. ¡°You¡¯re a weird one aren¡¯t you lad?¡± ¡°Mom, old man Craig is doing that thing again...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look in that direction dear...¡± ¡®Me weird? And who¡¯s he calling lad? I probably got a few years on this guy.¡¯ Sure, my hair just barely started greying, but I chalked that up to good genes. ¡°Hey man, I might not be as strong as you are, but don¡¯t go disrespecting a fellow elder.¡± He gave me a ¡®What the fuck are you talking about¡¯ look and did that back and forth flex with his pectoral muscles. ¡°...Elder?¡± He leaned forward, ¡°All I see in front of me is a weird lookin looking boy with an attitude.¡± I resisted the urge to kick him in the nuts. Instead, I just palmed my face and forced myself to slowly count down from ten. ¡®Ten... I¡¯m going to stab this fucker... Nine... Don¡¯t go to jail... Eight... He¡¯s just retarded... Seven... Why is my face oily... Six... And smooth?...¡¯ **** ¡°What the fuck...¡± Staring back at me was a face and body I hadn¡¯t seen in nearly half a century. Young, tall (kind of), and fit. The dry and pocketed complexion riddled with grey blotches and moles was now smooth and healthy. Thin greying hair was back to a solid jet black, that had an actual sheen to it. I was standing in front of the one window pane I found in this large medieval town. The reflection I stared at evoked such a myriad of emotions that, if my legs hadn¡¯t been reverted back, I would have probably buckled and passed out. I wanted to cry... laugh... jump for joy. Instead, I inhaled deeply, relishing the feel of young lungs filling with air, quickly absorbing and distributing oxygen... Blood and energy pumped freely through my heart and veins. My mind felt clearer, faster, like a thick fog had been blown away. ¡®This is insanity. I don¡¯t remember ever feeling this good.¡¯ I made a fist with my right hand. ¡®I feel like I can smash boulders...¡¯ I shook my head. ¡®Let''s not get carried away. There is a better chance of me waking up and finding out that I had been in coma, then all this being real...¡¯ ¡°Hey, are you going to come in and buy something... or you going to just stare at yourself all day?¡± Said a little looking lady from the entrance. She had on a nicer looking dress than most I¡¯ve seen since I started walking around. Besides the leather/metal armor that the guards/soldiers wore, simple, single layer wool pants, tunics or gowns were the norm here. But this woman¡¯s dress was made out of... silk? ¡°Oh... I¡¯m sorry mam. But I don¡¯t got any cash on me.¡± I highly doubt these people accepted credit chips. She raised an eyebrow, ¡°Cash?¡± ¡°Errmn... Currency?¡± Her face scrunched up. Then she dipped hand into a pocket and pulled out a silver? coin. ¡°You mean Tips? ¡°Sure... But I got nothing.¡± She let out an exasperated sigh, but then she stared at me for a few seconds. ¡°I know you¡¯re definitely new here. But even the other kingdoms use coins, where are you from?¡± ¡®The future? Another world? Dimension?¡¯ I had no idea. This place was downright feudal era. But I also saw some shit I knew wasn¡¯t part of Earth¡¯s feudal history. Like that purple cat. And that anti-gravity-flowing-uphill water way. Or the potion stall where I watched a guy pour something from a vile onto a nasty looking gash on his leg, which then closed up and somewhat heal in less than two minutes. ¡®Oh yeah, Magic... Fucking Magic...¡¯ There was the holy grail of fantasy settings in this possible dream, magic. ¡°Hawaii. I¡¯m from Hawaii.¡± ¡°Ha- what?¡± ¡°Nevermind. Someplace really far.¡± ¡°Another continent? Allister? Bracken?¡± ¡°Farther...¡± ¡°Then a lost continent.¡± ¡°Sure...¡± She stared at me longer. ¡°You have no idea, do you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°When did you arrive?¡± ¡°Maybe two hours ago, now.¡± ¡°That would explain a lot... And raise quite a few more questions.¡± She shook her head, and walked into the building. At first, I thought she¡¯d just dropped the conversation and wanted nothing else to do with me. But then I saw her arm sticking out from the entryway and wave at, assumingly, me to follow inside. What else was I going to do? I walked up the few steps into the building The building was raised a foot or two on stone foundation, and built using a mix of darkened hardwood and actual brick. It was much nicer than the thin wooden planks or clay and cobblestone that made up a majority of the other buildings. Inside, was like any of the trader shops that was in any of the fantasy roleplay games I used to play. Besides the rows of shelves and metal display cases , the first thing I noticed were the dozen or so glass bulbs that hung from the high ceiling. In each bulb was a decent sized flame that helped to illuminate the room. But there was no candle, or oil, or cloth... anything the flame could use to burn up for fuel. ¡®Right... Magic.¡¯ I walked past a row of porcelain dinnerware and stopped in front of stone counter. The lady was rifling through something from behind it. I watched her how her peach shaped butt swayed back and forth as she was bent over. Yes, she was on the shorter side, but damn... The thin green dress she wore, as loose as it was, hid pretty much nothing of her curves. In fact, as she moved, the fabric clung to her like a second layer of skin. ¡®So, underwear wasn¡¯t a thing here or with her... All I have to do is lift that dress a little and-¡¯ I mentally slapped myself. ¡®What the fuck Alan, she¡¯s as old as your daughter.¡¯ I shifted my pants, ¡®Holy shit, I¡¯m sporting half a chub. Just from looking!¡¯ God damn hormones. Where were you for the past thirty years? Samantha would have loved for you to have been around. ¡°Here we go.¡± She stood up straight and I watched as her unbound C-Cups bounce. She placed a pair of black woven pants, a white cotton tunic and thick leather booths on the counter top. This was closer to the style of clothing everyone wore here. In fact, they were a little higher quality. The problem was, ¡°I don¡¯t have any... Tips?¡± ¡®But her tips swing back and forth whenever she turns-¡¯ Stop it. She nodded, ¡°Yes. But I see a couple things I on you I¡¯d be willing to trade for.¡± She smiled, flipping her curly black mane from her face, ¡° My name is Claire by the way.¡± Instinct and years etiquette training kicked in. I stuck out my hand, ¡°My names¡¯ Alan. Nice to meet you Claire.¡± Thankfully she shook it. ¡°Same. Always good to meet potential customers.¡± She walked around the counter to my side and started fussing with my dress shirt. ¡°These clothes you have... are very unique. I am willing to swap sets with you. I have a feeling you¡¯d rather stand out less than you already do, correct?¡± ¡°You got me. I would love- ah that!¡± ¡®She just poked my stomach!¡¯ ¡°Great! I¡¯ll throw in a couple silver tips as well. Don¡¯t wanna feel like I¡¯m ripping you off.¡± She tossed a couple coins onto the counter and pointed at the only other door in the shop. ¡°You can change in there.¡± ¡°Um.. thanks.¡± I picked up the outfit and walked into another room, closing the door behind me. ¡®This is her bedroom.¡¯ It was much smaller than the actual shop. There was a single sized bed made from layered furs. A couple wooden dressers, a book shelf, and a desk. Sparse looking, ¡®But this was probably what a well-off individual¡¯s room would look like.¡¯ Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. There a few books lying around as well as a couple pieces of parchment and an in well on the desk. ¡°So, what are you going to do?¡± She shouted from the other room. ¡°That¡¯s an ambiguous question.¡± ¡°I mean in general. You were walking around outside like a lost child.¡± ¡°You were watching?¡± I stripped down to my boxer briefs. The idea of freeballing wasn¡¯t very appealing. ¡°I was bored.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not bored... right now are you.¡± I glanced down at the abs that had disappeared decades ago. ¡°No, you leech.¡± ¡°Hah. But, no. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing or going to do. I¡¯m kinda in the denial-and-taking-everything-as-it-is phase. If ya know what I mean.¡± ¡°No. I have no idea. You really have nothing else to you name?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°You got relatives or friends in Grisley?¡± ¡°What¡¯s Grisley?¡± ¡°...This town...¡± ¡°Oh. That¡¯s good to know. I was honestly beginning to wonder about that. But, no. I have no one here... Or anywhere relatively close to here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not trying to lead me on are you? It¡¯s like you came right out of an old fantasy story.¡± ¡°What... That¡¯s insulting.¡± ¡°I mean, you look... exotic. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re lost with no idea how you got here. You have no tips. No friends. No family... Do you have memory lost as well?!¡± ¡°Would it be better If I told people that I did?¡± I finished putting on everything, including the surprisingly comfortable boots. Being on your feet most of your in the fast paced restaurant industry had me very particular about footwear. The padded leather and reinforced binding did a good job conforming to my feet. Claire did a good job figuring out not just my shoe size, but also the other measurements just by looking. My pants and tunic fit snuggly, as if they had been tailored. ¡°I guess... anyway. Are you done changing yet?¡± The door opened and the little lady peaked in. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t bored?¡± I smiled at her. She gave me that women did when they weren¡¯t amused. At least that was universal. ¡°Come back when you¡¯re older.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m 20... I think...¡± ¡°Or, at the very least, when you figure that out.¡± ¡°Gotchu.¡± I handed her my slacks, dress shirt, and oxfords. I went back to the counter to pick up the coins, but there were a couple more items next to them. A small leather pouch, a rolled up piece of parchment, and a metal flask. ¡°Here¡¯s a couple extra things that I figured you might need.¡± She said offhandedly while fussing with the old stuff. ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± I picked up the pouch and looked inside it. Nope, not bottomless. ¡°No problem. It¡¯s not everyday that I get to be the one to provide the starter kit to a new epic story. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing. If you look at the parchment, it¡¯s basically a map of the town. I marked a couple places that you might want to look at, as well as a couple places you should avoid. The star is where this shop is located. Feel free to come back when you have a decent amount of tips.¡± I unfurled the map and stared. Judging by the landmarks I recognized from walking around to get here, this town was massive. ¡°What¡¯s this area? I shouldn¡¯t go there?¡± I pointed at northern section that compromised a little more than a quarter of the town. ¡°That¡¯s were the army is garrisoned. They don¡¯t let normal folk wander there.¡± She pointed at a marker a couple blocks from the shop. ¡°Here though. I recommend checking this out first... And then you can go to this area to find a place to sleep the night. A silver tip should be enough for a few days of lodging. And also, if you go here you¡¯ll find a couple of ---¡± For two hours she talked about the town and places to go. I also asked a bunch of questions regarding various other things that might be considered basic knowledge here. You know, stuff that''ll be pretty suspicious if I didn¡¯t know about. Eventually, she kicked me out and told me to go to that first place she pointed at. **** Infront of me was Grisley¡¯s Adventurers Guild. ¡®Huh... that¡¯s cool... I guess.¡¯ The building looked exactly what you would expect from a fantasy book or game. Three stories with a fancy balcony, sword and shield decorations, random scorch marks, and a floating water fountain.... ¡°Nah man. I¡¯m good.¡± I turned and continued walking. ¡°Let''s look into other options.¡± ¡®What the hell Claire...¡¯ **** ¡®Heh... now this is the real shit...¡¯ I stared at the rancid drink the ¡®locals¡¯ called beer. The men in chainmail sitting next to me at the bar¡¯s counter were drinking ale, something that looked the same but smelt fouler. ¡®They¡¯re wearing legit armor.¡¯ I slowly glanced around. ¡®This is a legit tavern.¡¯ I stared at the funny looking guy playing a guitar looking instrument near the fireplace. ¡®I¡¯m in a legit medieval town...¡¯ Walking around all day had proved the map to be genuine and only compounded my new reality. There were thousands of people here with hundreds of actual buildings in this town. I had passed food stalls, various smiths, apothecaries, a fricken ¡®Magika¡¯ shop... This establishment itself had several dozen rowdy citizens enjoying their night off. ¡®I had low-key hoped that this had been one of the hardcore roleplay festivals that people did... Nope.¡¯ At least I¡¯d been led in the right direction, somewhat, by Claire. I rented out a room in this tavern, a silver tip for three nights, one meal a day, drinks not included. I was led upstairs before grabbing a drink to check out the room. Surprisingly cozy, it was fashioned similar to what I saw at Claire¡¯s. ¡°Hey, watch it girl!¡± A patron shouted from a table. I watched a shabby looking barmaid spill beer as she tried to quickly drop drinks off to tables. There were only three of them running around, not nearly enough to properly service the constant stream of the guests coming through that wooden door. ¡®Maybe I should manage a tavern...¡¯ ¡°Hey, if you¡¯re not going to drink that I¡¯ll do it for ya.¡± A strong, velvety voice said from my peripheral, cutting me off from my weird and possibly dangerous musings. ¡®...Ah damn...¡¯ I recognized that tone... this wasn¡¯t just going to be frivolous bar conversation. ¡°Good beer shouldn¡¯t call a cup home.¡± I turned to speaker. Strong, velvety, and.. terrifying. The woman that had somehow gotten right up to my side, without me noticing, was clad in the heaviest and meanest looking armor I¡¯d seen all day. Thick scale steel plates over chainmail over what I¡¯m sure was leather lining. Hanging from one hip was a full helmet, and on the other was a similar looking longsword that the town ¡®guards?¡¯ had. ¡°Sorry, uhh, Mam, new to this place. Just soaking in the atmos- just soaking it all in.¡± I got up from the bar stool and realized she stood a head taller than me. ¡°I see.¡± She reached behind her, took out a silver coin/tip from a hip pack and placed it on the counter. I took a good look at her face and saw something unnatural. At least, unnatural relative to my concept of normal. She was a strikingly beautiful woman. Long dirty blonde hair, a little mussy, probably from the helmet. High, pronounced cheekbones,pouty lips, and calm-blue eyes... Calm... being comparable to that brief period right before a thunderstorm. I haven¡¯t met anyone else today that unnerved me like her. ¡®It sounds dramatic... butt, this lady was a predator.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s hilarious. ¡®Mam?¡¯ Do I look like some sort of baker¡¯s wife?¡± Her lips curved into a smile. ¡°Lilian Skyfang, Commander of the 29th.¡± I blinked, ¡®Skyfang... and a military rank.¡¯ She was the first person today to give me surname. ¡®Ah...¡¯ She obviously wasn¡¯t a normal person. Besides being a soldier,he had status. Claire had explained that this town was part of an Empire, a rather large one. In fact, Grisley was considered one of the smallest frontier towns. So small that it wasn¡¯t governed by nobility, unlike the other towns and cities closer to capital. ¡®This chick¡¯s presence definitely screams nobility...¡¯ Not knowing what to do, I just gave her a slight nod and said. ¡°Alan Daproza. Nice to meet you.¡± Lilian blinked and gave me a weird look that I couldn¡¯t quite place. ¡°Nice to meet you too... So, new, huh?¡± She took a good swig of ale that had appeared on the counter next to her. ¡°Where are you from Alan, you¡¯ve collected some interest since you¡¯re mysterious appearance in town. A town with thick walls, a large garrison, and strict entry protocol.¡± The last part said with a heavier tone, with her eyes becoming sharper. ¡®Oh shit.¡¯ I noticed the volume from tavern patrons around me had lowered significantly. There were more eyes on us. Specifically, those belonging to the ones with swords. ¡®Here we go... what do I say?¡¯ She took another sip. I was unarmed and surrounded. Not that I had the ability to escape even if I had a weapon. ¡®I did nothing wrong, that I know of, besides existing where I shouldn¡¯t. And making up a story, I feel, would just be plain stupid at this point... ¡°That¡¯s right, tell me something I¡¯m sure to believe. Anything to assure me that you have no ill intentions toward this town and its people.¡± ¡®Right... am I being that transparent right now or can she read minds?¡¯ Not giving her a chance to answer that thought, I told the truth. ¡°I¡¯m from a city called Honolulu in land that is, I¡¯m going to safely assume, very very far away.¡± I picked up my cup and took a sip. It tasted horrible. ¡°I also don¡¯t remember how got here, only that I woke up on a dirt road on the other side of town.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything for a while, just slowly sipping at her booze. ¡°Hmmmm... you¡¯re not lying.¡± She finished off her ale and picked up my cup. ¡°You didn¡¯t like this right? I¡¯ll drink it, Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pay.¡± She looked at the bartender and said, ¡°Can you bring over some of the special wine? Maybe he¡¯ll like it more.¡± Liliana then gave me a much friendlier look, ¡°You really aren¡¯t from anywhere near here, huh? Even children know that Grisly¡¯s Beer is the best in the empire.¡± She pretty much tanked the cup in one go. ¡°So what do you plan on doing now Alan? You¡¯ve got only a handful of silvers on you from the clothes you traded earlier today.¡± ¡®How the fuck... ¡¯ ¡°That¡¯ll be enough to get you a room here for a few nights and some food. But then what? You spent the whole day wandering around aimlessly, looking like a lost puppy.¡± I must be made a face because she laughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When someone looking as foreign as you do walks around a town like this, of course you¡¯d have attracted our attention. The gate captains are pulling at hairs outta frustration trying to figure out how you got in.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a spy.¡± It sounded weird coming out of my mouth, but I felt like this need to be cleared as soon as possible. ¡°Of course not, you¡¯re too obvious.¡± She laughed again. ¡°Whatever... But what do you mean foreign looking...¡± ¡®Wait...¡¯ I took another quick look around the room and came to a realization that had me nearly laughing out loud despite the circumstances. ¡®I should¡¯ve connected the dots when I was walking around town.¡¯ I honestly thought I was getting stares cause of my clothes, that¡¯s why I got the full outfit from Claire. But... My eyes drifted down to my arms... or more like, my brown skin. 2050 America, racial discrimination was nearly non-existant. Even the weird stereotypes and awkward traits attached to cultures of the past had been blended and blurred with decades of interracial couplings. In fact, my generation had been one of the last to have grown up with most of the population having only one ethnic background. Right before... I left(?) my world/time (?) most of the children being born had at least half a dozen ethnicities. Light/dark brown, bronze, or tan skin was the norm. Here, everyone was white... Northern European white.. My background was 100% Filipino, an ethnic group that took in both pacific island and asian traits. Soo.... not only my skin, but also facial features, especially my eyes, were probably exotic to them. ¡°Ok, so I might look a little foreign.¡± ¡°You look very foreign.¡± ¡°Extremely foreign.¡± Added the bartender. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know they came in your color.¡± Said a passing barmaid. ¡°Blargh, just know that I¡¯m not here to cause any trouble.¡± I sighed tiredly, ¡°I just... need to figure things out.¡± Liliana pushed a glass cup in front of me and said softly, ¡°Here, calm down and try this, my treat.¡± I looked starred at the transparent, bright yellow liquid in front of me. ¡°Grisley Town, is also famous for this beverage. I¡¯ve never had anything like it anywhere else.¡± I sniffed, took a sip and froze. ¡°The maker says that it''s still basically wine. Grapes are still used, but they do something a little different to get the color and taste.¡± She shrugged, ¡°Personally, I prefer the stronger normal wine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing...¡± I whispered. There was no visible sediment at all as well as nothing else to impede it¡¯s notes, both taste and nose. ¡®They got people walking around with swords, but somehow perfected modern vinification process. ¡°Knew you¡¯d like that.¡± The woman chuckled. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good. Very good.¡± I took another sip. ¡°But I also prefer red wine.¡± ¡°Haha! Great, that¡¯ll be the next round!¡± ¡°Next round?¡± ¡°Yes, Think of it as your welcoming party to Grisley...¡± She smiled again, but this time there was something scary in her eyes, ¡°as well as the 29th Division.¡± ¡°...Excuse me?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve been graciously drafted into the Empire¡¯s 29th Division, also known as ¡®Longsword¡¯. Be grateful!¡± She patted my shoulder and laughed. ¡°We are a professional infantry unit, one of many that is tasked with safeguarding the frontier territories. Good thing for you, we were just recently garrisoned here. That¡¯ll give you time to get trained up and seasoned before we get stationed somewhere else.¡± ¡°Hold up, hold up. What the hell are you talking about. I just got here. I still have no idea what¡¯s going on and what I¡¯m going to do.¡± ¡°That makes joining the Empire¡¯s Army the best choice of action! The lost and confused, with no home or future is perfect for the army. We¡¯ll give you direction and a purpose.¡± ¡®As well as a sure fire way to keep me underwatch and out of trouble most likely...¡¯ ¡°That too.¡± ¡°.... Whatever.¡± ¡®You know what, I don¡¯t care anymore.¡¯ I picked up my glass and drank. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll take care of you.¡± *** A couple hours, and drinks, later I was completely sloshed. Lilian- No... Commander Skyfang, was right as rain. Even after drinking FIVE TIMES AS MUCH. ¡°THASH NOT FAIRRRrr. THISH WORLD AND THE LASHTTT.... IT AINT RIiigGHT.... IFff GINzz EShisTED HEREZzz IsSHs PUTzz YOUZzz OUTss¡± Note to self, Invent Gin. ¡°This is hilarious.¡± The witch smiled. ¡°I¡±LL HAVSH YoU KNOW THASH------------------.¡± ¡°Hah. And he¡¯s out. Bartender, he rented a room here right?¡± ¡°Yes Madam Skyfang, for three nights in fact.¡± ¡°Refund it. He won¡¯t be needing the room anymore.¡± ¡°Yes Madam.¡± ¡°Sergeant Oliver! Get over here.¡± ¡°Commander.¡± ¡°I got 3rd Platoon and you a gift. After you¡¯re done drinkin, get your guys to haul him to the garrison.¡± ¡°Understood, Commander!¡± *** And that is how this story started. Not even a day after waking up in wherever this place is, I was basically conscripted into an army... And then proceeded to get blackout drunk in front of my future commanding officer. A great introduction. Maybe I should¡¯ve went into the Adventurers Guild afterall.