《CrossRoads》 An Inn Far Away ¡°I¡¯ve heard it said that not all who wander are lost, but some most certainly are. Those are the ones to watch.¡± ~Unknown Sage The room was silent. I looked at what appeared to be an old world tavern filled with people who only a moment ago had been drinking and sharing stories loudly. They had quoted down upon seeing a tall man with sandy blond hair, piercing green eyes, a muscular build that had started to turn to fat, and clothing that was drastically out of the local style; he appeared out of thin air stumbling into a table before finding his balance. Basically, they had seen me. Let me tell you, I was as surprised as they were! Here I was walking home from a late night at the dojo; I just started studying self-defense, to keep the fat from spreading and letting me have a beer and a slice every once in a while. Dieting was slowly sapping my will to live. I had been on my way home when all of a sudden POOF! I¡¯m standing in a tavern wearing my workout clothes, carrying a messenger bag, and looking like I had lost a few dozen fights. My instructor was a big fan of object lessons in defense and he did not pull the punches. The patrons of the tavern looked as old world as the place itself, almost as if I¡¯d stumbled into a set from Game of Thrones. It was so quiet you could hear people breathing ¡°Beggin¡¯ your pardon, sir.¡± The man behind the bar spoke up. He was a scruffy older man who looked a bit like shaggy from Scobby Do. ¡°But magic is strictly forbidden in this er¡¯ establishment.¡± His accent was a mix of Gaelic and proper British. ¡°Excuse me¡±I questioned, ¡°but are you talking to me?¡± He looked at me like as was both stupid and deaf. ¡°O¡¯ course I am talking to ye! Who else been popping into the bar all Mage-like.¡± At this point figured the best thing to do was roll with it. ¡°I¡¯m a sorry friend, I didn¡¯t know about the prohibition on magic use.¡± I had no idea what magic he was talking about, but it was best in these situations to make a quick and quiet getaway. I left the tavern through a pair of thick wooden doors banded in black iron. The street outside was well lit by old-timey street lights that burned a light blue color. The street itself was cobbled and well maintained with grates for drainage and raised sidewalks. The homes and storefronts up and down both sides reminded me of the period dramas I¡¯d seen of Victorian England or one of those quaint tourist towns you see in New England. I started walking to the right it looked like the road leading to the center of town. I needed to figure out where I was and how I had ended up here. After walking for about 30 minutes I was stopped by a man who looked like a police officer. His uniform was strange, a long belted overcoat with matching pants and leather boots all in a deep dark navy. ¡°Citizen, what are you doing walking the streets this late at night and dressed so strangely. What manner of clothes are you wearing?¡± He asked pointing to my baggy sweatpants and hoodie. I could only imagine how strange I must have looked to him. ¡°Officer, I¡¯m new to the area and find myself rather lost. As for my attire, it is the traditional training outfit for my people. If you could point me in the direction of the town square I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to find my lodgings.¡± I put as much authority and respect in my voice as I could muster. This day was getting difficult to deal with. ¡°I am no Officer, simply a town guard. I can escort you to the square and show you to The Otter, it is the only Inn after all.¡± He laughed obviously finding the thought of being an Officer amusing. I¡¯d file that away for later. ¡°I would be most grateful ¡­¡± ¡°Yes, of course, my name is Charles. And you are?¡± He asked turning and beaconing me follow. ¡°I¡¯m Mike McConnell. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Charles.¡± He led me around town for about 15 minutes until we hit the square. It was about 300 yards to a side with a government building in the center of a manicured yard with trees and flowers tastefully spread around giving the place the feel of tamed wilderness. The building in the center looked like a courthouse with three floors and huge stained glass entrance doors flanked by statues of who I assumed were town heroes or founders. We quickly crossed the square following a gravel path through the trees to the back of the building and across the street. Charles led down an alleyway and right to a large field-stone house with a sign hanging from the porch. The sign showed a large otter floating on its back smiling at the world. ¡°Here we are, Mike. Now don¡¯t go wandering around town at night if you don¡¯t know where you¡¯re going.¡± Charles gently chided me. ¡°Thank you again, Officer,¡± I said grinning and extending my hand to him. He laughed and took my hand in a full forearm shake like you¡¯d see warriors use in movies. He clapped me on the back and left shaking his head and chuckling ¡°Me an Officer, ha!¡± I walked into The Otter not quite sure what to expect. The front room was a sitting area with large overstuffed chairs and low coffee tables beyond them was a small counter with a young girl behind it. She didn¡¯t notice me enter and looked to be reading a book as I approached. Even when I was right at the counter she still hadn¡¯t looked up. I was afraid id have to tap her on the should when she suddenly spoke, ¡°It¡¯s five coppers a night with meals and linen service. We offer a discount if you pay a week at a time and if you¡¯re here longer then a week meals are free.¡± She still hadn¡¯t looked up from that book. ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse me miss, but I¡¯m not sure how long I¡¯ll be staying.¡± I quickly opened my bag and fished out some pennies. I only had 20 and that was only because I was lazy and hadn¡¯t cleaned the bag out since college five years ago. ¡°Will this do for a night?¡± I asked handing over five cents. She finally looked up to count the coins. ¡°I can¡¯t say a recognize the mark but they looked real enough.¡± She reached under the counter and took out a scale. Placing a penny on it she let out a sigh, ¡°your coin¡¯s a little heavy. It¡¯ll only be four a night.¡± I smiled at her and handed over three more pennies, ¡°Let¡¯s make it two nights then.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your coin Mister.¡± She said taking the money and grabbing a key from the pegs behind her. ¡°You¡¯re in room 5. It¡¯s down the hall to the right. Baths are in the back past the kitchen. Get there early if you want the water hot.¡± She sighed again and went back to reading. I left her to it and found my room. The room was about the size of a dorm room with a twin bed, small writing desk with a chair, a love seat, and a coffee table. The only light was a lamp on the table, but try as I might I couldn¡¯t light it. of some kind. I just need some matches or a lighter, really wish I didn¡¯t quit smoking right about now. I sighed and laid down on the bed. It was comfortable and before I could even take my shoes off I had fallen into a deep sleep. I woke up in the morning feeling sore all over, ¡°Damn Sensi really did a number on me last night¡± I sighed and rolled out of bed heading for the shower out of habit. Tripping over the table, ¡°Shit¡± I yelped landing in a heap on the love seat and remembering where I was. I guess I¡¯ll be spending the day figuring what the hell is happening to me. First I should take an inventory of what I¡¯ve got with me. It might be a while before I can find a way home assuming its possible at all. I emptied my bag on the bed and began sorting my meager possessions. I had my bag, my phone, my laptop, chargers for both, my wallet with I.D. and credit cards, 12 pennies, 10 quarters, 4 gold U.S. Dollars, 3 U.S. Silver Dollars, my knife, a trusty Smith and Wesson 9mm concealed pistol, and three spare mags. I¡¯ll have to see if I can convert my currency to the local standard and see if my tech even works here. From all I can tell I have somehow stepped into a different world, or I¡¯m completely mental. I took the time to power up my phone and was surprised and relieved when it turned on. It was at eighty percent power and had no signal so I turned it off it save the battery. I didn¡¯t bother with the laptop assuming it would work as well and not wanting to waste any power booting it up. Next, I took all my money and stashed it in the front pocket of the messenger bag. Finally, I strapped on my concealed carry shoulder holster under the hoodie, fixed the knife¡¯s sheath to the bags strap, and got ready to leave. Looking at my watch it was just after 7 a.m. and they should be serving breakfast downstairs. I had the room for another night, but I didn¡¯t want to leave anything in the room unattended. Walking to the front desk with all my worldly, Otherworldly, possessions I greeted and elderly gentleman, ¡°Good morning sir, I checked in last night. Where is the morning meal served?¡± I asked cordially. ¡°Good morning young man,¡± His voice was like the pages of a book turning light with the weight of history and his eyes shined with mirth. I could tell this man had lived a long a full life.¡±I hope you¡¯ve enjoyed your stay so far. I see you¡¯ll be with us another night and by the look of you, you¡¯re not from around here.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I have a map of the town and if you have any questions I¡¯ll be happy to answer them.¡± ¡°Wow, A map would be a blessing!¡± I almost yelled smiling. ¡°And if you could tell me where I can convert some of my currency, it looks like I ended further from home than I realized,¡± I said sheepishly. ¡°Firstly, the meals are served in the common room down the hall and the map is free for our guests. As far as a money changer I think the blacksmith or jeweler would be your best bet, I¡¯ll mark them on the map. My name is August and what shall we call you during the remainder of your stay?¡± ¡°How rude of me, My name is Michael Decimus McConnell, but you can call my Mike.¡± I bowed to August as it seemed the right thing to do at the moment. His smile was full of barely hidden mirth as he replied ¡°Oh a man of noble bearing if not noble birth. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Mike.¡± He bowed his head making the map and going back to his business still smiling. I could get used to this place, the people have all been so helpful and pleasant. I walked back to the common room and was served a hearty breakfast of sausage, eggs and rye bread. It was the best meal I¡¯d had in months and for only 4 cents a night it was the cheapest I¡¯d paid for a meal ever. It took an hour of walking around the busy streets until I found the Jeweler. I¡¯d figured that he would offer the best exchange rate for my coin. I entered the shop to see a short woman behind the counter looking out at the street wistfully. ¡°Excuse me, Miss, Can you help me exchange some foreign coin?¡± Her eyes widened slightly as I spoke and she took the time to scrutinize my appearance. ¡°Boy, if you have more than a few coppers to rub together I¡¯d be surprised. You defiantly have the look of a foreigner about you and a poor one at that. Let¡¯s see what you have and get this over with.¡± I was a taken back by her attitude, but I didn¡¯t think I could find anyone better to change my money. ¡°Okay, this is all I have,¡± I said gruffly handing over my coins. Her eyes got saucer wide when she saw the gold and silver dollars. She quickly schooled her expression, but I¡¯d seen enough to know that I had a good amount of wealth here. ¡°So, I take it we can make a deal.¡± I grinned. Scowling slightly she took out a scale and weighted each coin and made notes in a small book on the counter. ¡°I believe we can make a deal, Boy.¡± She grouched. ¡°The copper ones I can give you 15 pieces of the same, the big iron ones¡¯re only worth 20 copper, the silver I can exchange at 1 for 3, and the gold a little less than that.¡± She was scrunching up her eyes and calculating how just how much she could squeeze out of me, but much to her delight I accepted her offer right away. After all it is only about ten bucks to me. ¡°A pleasure doing business with you.¡± I smiled and walked out of the store. Now it was time to get a change of clothes all the locals were staring at me where ever I went. The Tailor¡¯s was a nice little corner store with big glass windows on two walls mannequins dressed in the latest fashion displaying it for all passers-by. A bell chimed as I entered and a portly man of about 30 walked through a curtain that led to the back of the store. ¡°Good Morning! It looks like you are in dire need of my services.¡± He frowned at me tsking as he came. ¡°Yeah, I could use some new clothes.¡± I was a little tired of the store clerks judging me. ¡°If you could point out something a moderately well-off foreign man such as myself would normally wear I¡¯d be happy to pay top coin.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if the phrase translated, but the clerk perked up and started to take my measurements. I ended up with what was essentially a very high end suit from my own world with minor differences. The collars were rounded and the coat was longer than I would normally wear, but over all it was a very fetching outfit. I had picked a forest green coat and pants with a dark navy vest and black shirt. I thought I looked very dashing and it only cost me two of my silver pieces. I said goodbye to the clerk and left. By the time I had finished my shopping, it was starting to get dark, the street lamps were lit and I started back to the Inn. It was a nice fall evening with the first hint of winter in the air. I could tell the first snow would be falling here soon. I need to find a way home before winter sets in. I wonder if there¡¯s a mages guild or tower. The bartender last night mentioned magic that might be my ticket home. I was lost in thought and hadn¡¯t noticed the two men following me until I had turned down a dark alley, the same alley Charles had led me down the previous night. Tonight I didn¡¯t have a town guard to keep the thugs away and I was dressed like a rich man. This is going to be trouble I thought as a third man stared down the alley cutting off any retreat. ¡°Okay, guys I don¡¯t want any trouble¡± I started to back against the wall so I wouldn¡¯t be completely surrounded. All of the thugs were dressed in patched and dirty clothing. They smelled like old piss and stale beer. I was not getting out of this without a fight. I could just shoot them, but I didn¡¯t think gunfire would go unnoticed by the police and I couldn¡¯t afford to be questioned. They¡¯d lock me up for sure. ¡°What do we have here boys.¡± The apparent leader of the thugs, a tall man with a hideous scar running from his ear to the other side pf his mouth, said laughing. ¡°Looks like a rich boy out on the town without paying the ¡®tax¡¯¡±. ¡°Oh, I must have forgotten to pay you when I got into town. How about we settle up an no one has to get hurt.¡± I smiled at him and reached for my bag. ¡°Not so fast yer Lordship.¡± He sneered. ¡°I see that knife you got there. Don¡¯t go getting any bright ideas.¡± I cursed silently. I was hoping to draw them in and catch them off guard with the knife. ¡°We¡¯d hate to have a misunderstanding.¡± one of the others, A toad faced man laughed. I slowly reached into the front pocket and took out a gold piece. ¡°Gentleman, I¡¯m sure a gold will more than cover my taxes while I¡¯m in town.¡± I tossed the gold at the leader and while his eyes were following the flipping coin I reached into my coat and pulled the pistol hidden there. The seconds it took me to draw were enough for Toad-face to pull his knife and charge me. Everything seemed to slow down in that moment. The leaders eyes narrowed as he looked at the weapon in my hand the loud retort echoed in the close confines of the alley and he was dead before he could realize it. His brains were splattered down the street. Toad-face made it to me then and stabbed me in the side. The pain was more excruciating than anything I¡¯d ever felt. I could feel the serrated blade slicing and ripping my insides apart as Toady pulled the knife out and got ready to stab again. He never got the chance, his charge had put him right in my line of fire and I squeezed off two round before he could bring the blade to bear again. He looked confused as he fell to the ground his life quickly draining out of the holes I¡¯d put in his chest. The final thug hadn¡¯t even drawn steel before his two friends were laying at my feet. He took one look at me and ran. I wanted to chase him, I wanted to kill him, but my side was in agony and I needed to get out of here. Those shots would undoubtedly cause an alarm to spread in the area.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. I was too close to the Inn to go back with out risking being caught. I quickly rifled through the thugs pockets and took anything of value; A few coins, copper and silver, three good quality blades , and a strange blue-green gem the size of a quarter were all they had. I could here the alarm being yelled and whistles blaring in the night, it was time to go. I took off running in the only direction that made any sense, back to the bar where I¡¯d first arrived. It must have been some kind of instinct guiding me because after about half an hour with my vision blurring around the edges and my hands and feet numb I found the bar. I was delirious from the blood loss, I could feel something pulling at the back of my mind. Like that feeling when you forgot to turn the stove off or left the car lights on. I followed that pull around the back of the Tavern. Through the haze that was my sight the alley shimmered and I felt static charge the whole area. In a flash I was no longer where I had been. I was home. Just in time too, I fumbled with my bag until I got my phone out and turned on. I dialed 9-1-1 barely telling the dispatcher that I needed an ambulance before passing out. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª I woke up cold. The room I was in had a sterile feel to it like most hospitals I¡¯d ever been in. The walls were a pristine off-white,florescent lights hummed overhead, and I was dressed in a thin linen gown that barely covered me. I did have some new accessories to go with the outfit, a pair of lovely steel bracelets that held me tightly to the bed and I had company, a smartly dressed young man in police uniform who looked like he had been up all night. He turned when he heard me moving around, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake!¡± He started, it must have been a very long night. ¡°Now don¡¯t struggle. We had to cuff you when they brought you in. Not often we have a guy stabbed in the side and a pistol missing three rounds.¡± He seemed nervous and stood backing slowly out of the room as he spoke. ¡°Sarge! He¡¯s awake.¡± He yelled down the hall before stepping outside and standing guard at the door. Looks like I may have gotten myself in some trouble. Hopefully they don¡¯t lock me up. I lay still listening to the machines slowly beeping keeping track of my heart and other vitals. I was surprised that I was so calm, I had killed two people after all and now the cops were keeping me cuffed to a bed. However, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to care too much; They had attacked me and on another world! No way the cops here could hope to prosecute me. Just as I came to this realization the Sargent and two detectives walked into the room. ¡°Good afternoon Mr. McConnell. It appears that you¡¯ve had quite and interesting week.¡± Detective number one said flipping through his notes. He was a short dark-skinned man with a slight accent that sounded like he was from the Caribbean somewhere. ¡°When they brought you in the doctors called us to report a man stabbed and waving a gun around before he collapsed in the street. Now, I see here that you called 9-1-1 yourself so I can assume you were acting in self-defense, yes?¡± He asked looking up at me for the first time since entering the room. ¡°Yeah¡­I had been out on the town. I had just gotten a new suit, you see, and I wanted to see if I could meet a woman. It¡¯s been a while.¡± I replied bashfully, or at least I hoped to look that way to the cops. ¡°I was walking home after a very unsuccessful night when this guys with a knife jumped me. He wanted all my money so I grabbed my wallet and he stabbed me. I had my carry pistol on me and got a few shots off before he ran off. The rest I guess you guys know.¡± I looked over the assembled men in the room hoping for some sympathy. The Sargent at least looked ready to give me a chance, but the two detectives just looked on impassive. ¡°We haven¡¯t had any other reports of muggings in that area, but it doesn¡¯t look like you actually hurt anyone and you were stabbed pretty bad. I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re off the hook, but right now we have other cases that need our time. Please, don¡¯t leave town Mr. McConnell we will have followup questions for you.¡± The lead detective said and they all turned to leave. ¡°Excuse me, Sargent, could you uncuff me please?¡± I called after them. ¡°Shit, sorry.¡± The Sargent cursed under his breathe. He quickly took the cuffs and left. Now able to move my arms I gingerly examined my side. It was tender but not as bad as I¡¯d expect from everything I had gone through. The bandage came away easily and the wound itself looked like it had been healing for about a week, still ugly but the redness was going away and I could see the scar that it would leave. I must have been out for a while. The next few weeks past quickly filled with doctors visits and therapy to make sure I healed fully. When I was given a clean bill of health and the police had stopped coming by, telling me that they had concluded their investigation and I was free to go about my life, two months had gone by. I was itching to get back to work and start my self-defense training again. My brief time in that other world had shown me the need to be prepared for anything to be honest I was hoping to find out how I had ended up there in the first place. I went back to work, I was a draftsman working for an engineering firm outside of Pittsburgh, and I started up my classes at the dojo again. My Sensi used me as a living example of the importance of knowing the fundamentals. I even convinced him to teach me to fight with a knife. I also used this time to save some cash and buy up gold, silver, and copper bars thinking that once I figured out how to get back to that other world I¡¯d need the wealth. After 6 months I had spent $8,000 on metal bars, bought a very nice combat knife, and upgraded my pistol to the military version with all the bells and whistles. I was ready to start looking into the world of magic and getting back to Victorian World, as I had taken to calling it in my head. I packed up an old-style leather backpack I¡¯d picked up just for my traveling with all my metal bars. I¡¯d accumulated 4 gold, 10 silver, and 15 copper 1 oz. bars. I was surprised that copper costs almost as much as silver in my world. I had a small camp stove, utensils for cooking, a self-filtering 1-gallon water carrier, laptop with solar and crank chargers loaded up with all my drafting software and a few other toys, my phone, and a collapsible carbine made to look like a miniature AK-47 with 500 rounds of ammo and four mags. I dressed in the coat and pants I¡¯d bought on my last trip with some improvements. Even though it had taken me four months to learn I¡¯d become a halfway decent tailor and spent the time to sew ballistic plate pouches into the coat along with leather and scale-mail reinforcements for it and the pants. I also have a light leather vest similarly reinforced over a silk shirt. I had my old 9 mm on a belt holster in a cross draw for right-handed shooting with my knife sheathed to hide it and my new military pistol secured in a hidden shoulder holster. I had three spare mags for both pistols and 500 more rounds in my pack. It was a very heavy load-out and if I hadn¡¯t spent my recovery time rucking with a similar weight I¡¯d never make it out the door. I took all my built up vacation time and told work I was taking a trip to Scotland to visit with family and reconnect with my roots. I even booked a flight in case the police were still keeping tabs on me, I knew it was paranoid, but I couldn¡¯t help feeling I was about to embark on a dangerous journey and should cover my bases. I planned to be gone from work for two months. I closed up my house for an extended absence and walked away from my life for a while. I had a vague recollection of the pull I felt before coming back and I focused my mind on that memory feeling around as I walked the city. I was near the University¡¯s campus when I felt something faint brush over my mind. I looked around and it was coming from the Cathedral. I crossed my fingers hoping it would be too crowded on a Saturday and walked inside. The feeling grew stronger the further I got inside the building and suddenly in an alcove between two classrooms, I felt that static in the air. This time I wasn''t bleeding out and took my time observing what I felt and slowly pulled myself through the static and into another world. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Opening my eyes I saw a message floating in a golden flowing script. Attention Traveler: As you have with purpose and forethought stepped from one World to Another you have been granted limited control over your development. We, the gods, have deemed Travelers worthy of this small gift. On the ground in front of you is a notebook in this notebook you will find a brief guide to the Multiverse alongside your ¡®Character Sheet¡¯. With these tools, we hope you survive and enjoy all the Infinite Worlds have to offer. Shocked and caught off guard I dumbly reached for the small leather book sitting on the ground in front of me. It was a simple thing that I could have picked up in any book store back home, but when I touched it I could feel a slight shock of power running through it that spread swiftly through my hand and into my body settling just above where I had been stabbed. I flipped through the pages to find that they were all blank. Strange, I thought that message said it was some kind of guide book and character sheet. I figured it would act kind of like in D&D or maybe WoW. Maybe I¡¯m doing it wrong¡­ I took a closer look at the first page and as I concentrated the power I¡¯d felt before shifted and moved very slowly to my eyes. I blinked once and there were words. I would like to take this time to personally welcome you Traveler McConnell. My name is Sirsir, god of travel for the people of your World back to the earliest Civilizations. Now, I know what you¡¯re thinking and Yes gods do exist. We are rather limited in our ability not the all-powerful gods of myth and legend. Think of my more like a very knowledgeable and advanced alien, your people have a saying ¡°Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.¡± We have a similar philosophy ¡®Sufficiently advanced magic combined with technology is indistinguishable from Divinity.¡¯ We are or rather were beings similar to yourself many millennia ago. Now we just play in a bigger sandbox. Travelers are given a tiny portion of Divine power when they first transition. This allows you to talk with me and any other god you meet without having your brain turned to mush leaking out your ears. It also gives you some small measure of control over yourself in the form of Advancements. Advancements are simply abilities that you can use in any World you visit no mater the local conditions. For example, magic can only be used in Worlds that have the proper mix of radiations and other factors, but if you were to select the Magic Advancement a small mana well would be created in your body to allow magic to be ¡®cast¡¯ in any world. It is of course more complicated than that, but it will serve as a good example. On to the next topic, Worlds are what we call different Universes in the Multiverse, it simplifies discussions greatly. There are an infinite number of Worlds, but they are not all safe for Humans; we¡¯ll talk more about that if it become relevant. Finally, Travelers are very rare. Only 1:1,000,000,000 every have the ability to Travel and of those only half ever do so purposely. So, it is unlikely that you¡¯ll ever meet many like yourself. Any questions? Just think them while concentrating on the guide book. That was a lot to process all at once and Sirsir had gone over most of what I would ask already. There was one question, So what do I do now? Am I like your minion or something? I thought at the book. Haha, That¡¯s a good one! You are now my slave for life, muahahaha!! But, seriously you¡¯re free to live your life however you wish. The gods may occasionally have requests for how you spend your time, but those are optional. I do recommend you fulfill any request that you aren¡¯t morally against. The rewards are defiantly worth it, more advancement points! If that¡¯s all I¡¯ll be on my way, lots of godly things to do haha! Just like that I felt some of the power fade from the book. It still had a slight weight of divinity, I guess that¡¯s what to call it, but it was only what I could feel coming from myself. I focused on my own power and the pages shifted to show me an overview of myself. Name: Michael Decimus McConnell Age: 32 Advancement Points: 5 Advancements: None Select Advancements from the list below¡­ The list of Advancements was so long I gave up looking through it after half an hour. I wonder if I can filter the results like in a computer program. I concentrated on what I wanted and sure enough the list of potentially millions of choices was cut down to ten: -Lifespan Advancement: Gain 50 years of life, may be chosen up to 10 times resulting in Immorbity (1 pt.) -Memory Advancement: Total recall from this point forward (2 pt.) -Physical Advancement: Gain peak condition in one of the following areas Strength, Speed, Dexterity, Endurance, Coordination, or Power (1 pt.) -Magic Advancement: Gain a Mana-Well (2 pt.) -Knowledge Advancement: Gain an expert¡¯s level of understanding of a topic. Must be specific, example Math(no) vs. Calculus(yes) (1 pt.) -Skill Advancement: Gain an expert¡¯s level of ability in a skill. Must be specific, example Fighting(no) vs. Aikido(yes) (1 pt.) -Teleportation Advancement: Gain the ability to teleport up to 500 yards (3 pt.) -Charisma Advancement: Gain one of the following Irresistible Nature (Sexual advances always successful), Leader (Others swayed by your words and follow you), or Oppressive Aura (Others are fearful of your very presence, intimidation always successful) (3 pt.) -Mental Advancement: Gain a psychic ability. Example Telekinesis, Telepathy, Mind Reading, etc¡­ (1-3 pt.) -Augments Advancement: Gain a mechanical Augment. Example Cybernetic Eye, Data Processor, etc¡­ (1-3 pt.) With only five points to spend I was hard pressed to make a decision and that gave me an idea. Select Knowledge Advancement: Advancements System I thought at the book. Knowledge Advancement: Advancements System selected cost assessed at 1 pt, Continue? I immediately thought YES and my mind was flooded with knowledge about the Advancement system. I even knew about it¡¯s origins and possible workarounds, but my mind was overwhelmed by everything I now knew and I passed out. When I woke up my head was pounding worse than after a weekend in Cancun. ¡°Shit¡± I cursed weakly groaning as I sat up. The world around me was bathed in the early morning sun for the first time since stepping through to the World I looked around. My breathe caught and I stared in wonder at the scene around me. I was sitting on a small rise above a coastal valley. The gentle crashing of waves could be heard even from here which had to be 5 miles away. The valley was carpeted by lush green grass and low fern-like trees sloping gradually down to a white sandy beach and natural harbor. There was a small town built up around the natural harbor and it looked like they were still in the age of sail as there were no metal ships or the sound of combustion engines. It was a true paradise. Shaking my head I tried to recall all that I had learned about the Advancements realizing too late that I simply couldn¡¯t hold of the knowledge of an expert without forgetting a huge portion of it. It¡¯s like my Dad used to say ¡°Mike, I¡¯ve forgotten more about manufacturing than you¡¯ll ever know¡±. He did spend 40 years as a plant manager working the steel mills in Pittsburgh. I should have gotten the Memory Advancement first, damn it! I laughed at my own stupid mistake and waste of points. Let¡¯s try again, Select Memory Advancement. Memory Advancement selected cost assessed at 2 pt, Continue? I sighed at the cost Yes I reluctantly agreed. I felt a change in my mind almost right away, but it was subtle. I closed my eyes and tried to picture what was in front of me and miraculously I could picture every detail. I tried to remember all about Advancements and could only pick out pieces. I guess it really means it about from this point forward¡­I¡¯ll just get it again. Select Knowledge Advancement: Advancement System. This Advancement has already been selected and cannot be granted again. I had considered the possibility that Advancements could only be selected once unless, like the Lifespan Advancement, they said otherwise. Still, it was a blow to my confidence that I had wasted one of my precious points. I hadn¡¯t played an RPG in years, but I had been avid in my younger days and knew that spending points were serious business. I had two points left and I needed to use them wisely. I needed to plan for the long term especially if I got more points and became functionally immortal with Lifespan Advancements. These last two points needed to be versatile; I needed to be able to make money, survive hostile situations, and complete requests of the local gods. I could only think that combining the Knowledge and Skill Advancements was the way to go, but what did I want to do with them. I was already a proficient draftsman, a pretty good engineer, and now with my perfect memory I¡¯d become even better; that would keep me well employed on my home World, but out here where technology might be vastly different I wasn¡¯t so sure. I¡¯d need to be able to make my own industrial base in many Worlds if they were less advanced, if they were more advanced I could take what they had and make it my own back home. Select Knowledge Advancement: Materials Science and Skill Advancement: Blacksmithing. Knowledge Advancement: Materials Science and Skill Advancement: Blacksmithing selected assessed cost 2 pt, Continue? Feeling pretty proud of myself I happily replied ¡°Yes¡±. The world spun and I fell back to the ground. My head was flooded with knowledge and my body was reshaped as if I¡¯d spent 50 years as a Blacksmith. My whole being vibrated and darkness fell. I have got to stop passing out all the time! I thought before even opening my eyes. My whole body hurt and I was so thirsty it felt like I¡¯d spent a week in the desert doing Crossfit. I had to gently rub my eyes before I could crack them open even then it was difficult to see. I fumbled with my pack searching for my water carrier to relieve this terrible thirst. Ah! That¡¯s the ambrosia of life, nice cool water. I had to force myself to take my time and sip the nectar of the gods. A full hour later I was fed and watered enough to go over what I had learned and how I had changed. The first thing I noticed was that my clothes were tight, not uncomfortable, but for sure not the well-fitted garments they had been. It wasn¡¯t the clothes that shrunk and instead I had gained some serious muscle. The Skill Advancement had granted me all I needed to be an expert blacksmith, muscles and all. This alongside the Materials Science I now remembered I was extremely confident that I could create a good little industrial empire where ever I went. I looked to the coastal town with new determination and a goal in mind. I would change the World. A Small Coast The importance of the McConnell Process cannot be overstated. When Michael McConnell first introduced his crucible steel techniques all other foundries, if they can even be called such, had been using age-old techniques that while producing steel did not allow for scrap to be used. The McConnell Process also saw the rise of modern alloys and the famous Raven Steel which is practically resistant to corrosion and still used today in our ocean-going vessels. ~ A Brief History of Modern Metallurgy The town was called Ravens Rest. It had been named after the first ship to use the natural harbor as a port twenty-five years prior to my arrival. The Raven had been batter by a massive storm, what I assumed was a Hurricane, and the crew had lost all hope when they spotted land. They were on a mission from the Crown to scout a chain of islands to the North to discover if colonies could be established there. From what I could find of the local geography the island chain was about the size of the Hawaiian Islands back home. They also boasted a similar climate and very fertile land. The Kingdom of Knoss laid claim to the entire archipelago after Raven¡¯s crew returned with tales of rich lands filled with exotic fruits, spices, and animals. There were no natives on the islands and Knoss was the first kingdom to begin expanding across the seas. The known world was nothing like what I was familiar with. There were four major continents separated by shallow seas much like the Mediterranean except these seas were host to vicious predators that made great white sharks look tame. This the land was at a premium and wars were almost always being fought for control. Knoss was a small nation on the southern continent of Rubella that specialized in naval architecture and used their superior ships to keep other nations from pressing their borders too much. Knoss had been in an age of peace for ten years before the Raven set sail and desperately needed land. They could hold what they had with their ships, but ships were useless in a land battle. If Knoss didn¡¯t get more land to feed her people they would begin to starve. Ravens Rest was a godsend for the small and desperate nation and with their armadas, at full strength, they set out to tame the archipelago. I had been here for two months now and found I enjoyed the slower pace of life on the frontier. The people were hardy and industrious folk. The first thing I did when I arrived was checked the local currency, I¡¯d have been in deep shit if they didn¡¯t use a gold or silver standard. Luckily, gold was of great value here and one of my bars set me up to be a wealthy landowner a true Gentleman of Knoss. I used my new found wealth to buy out the local blacksmiths and combine their shops into one huge complex right in the shipyard. I kept all the current employees and hired ten assistants/apprentices to help with an increased workload. The main complex housed a smelter, forge, and dorms for all my workers. I kept two smaller shops one for farmers and another for the common folk of Ravens Rest. I kept things simple, the only major change is the consolidation of resources and talent in a central location which was not unheard of in this world. Most of the senior Smiths were happy to work for me for a five-year contract in addition to the buyout of their own businesses and as I treated all my workers fairly there hadn¡¯t been any major incidents. I had been nervous that buying up all the smithing industry in the area would ruffle feathers. I found that thinking in terms of monopoly and even industrial sectors was rare and most of the business and government leaders were happy as long as I didn¡¯t intrude in their dealings. I was happy to keep to myself for now and grow the McConnell Smith Works into a local economic engine. The level of technology I found in the town was very much like that of late medieval Europe with the exception of the shipbuilding which was on par with the early 17th century. I began to teach the smiths to make better steel by adding other metals to the flux and creating alloys. I commissioned a basic Bessemer furnace so we could begin to make tool steel and eventually stainless. Even these basic improvements revolutionized the industry and my smiths were making stronger, longer lasting, and more resistant tools and equipment. I didn¡¯t want to push the processes any further ahead as it would create a severe imbalance in the progress of Knoss overall. We were already starting to run low on several of our raw ore stores and it would be months before more could be shipped to us. I knew we¡¯d need to expand the operation into mining and transportation before long. I had a lot to do and very little time. I had to leave to go back home within the next few days or I might lose my job and even though I found this new world even more fascinating than Victorian World I still needed my job at home. I wanted to use my job as a platform to launch an engineering and exploration business back home and further fuel my enterprise here. With all I knew about materials science now I was sure I¡¯d be able to set up some kind empire that spanned many Worlds. It was getting late in the afternoon and I wanted to see the Baron of Ravens Rest before the end of the day to buy up some more land on the outskirts of town and stake a claim to the mountains a few miles to the north. I¡¯d need the mining rights to fuel my growing business. I said goodbye to my smiths and got on my horse to ride to the Baron¡¯s estate. It was a short ride, only an hour outside of town built on the cliffs overlooking the harbor. The Baron¡¯s estate was a beautiful two-story manor house with a small keep in case of the island was ever attacked which was not likely for another decade or two. The grounds were manicured and cared for by a small army of gardeners who could be seen constantly pruning clipping, or watering. I was stopped at the gates, I needed to talk to the Baron about replacing these wrought iron monstrosities with my new stainless steel. It simply wouldn¡¯t do for the leader of this province to have drab metalwork. I chuckled at the passing thought while I waited for the gate guard to let me in. ¡°Good afternoon Gentleman McConnell, what is the nature of your visit today?¡± George the Sargent at the gate asked in a friendly manner. We had gotten to know each other in passing and occasionally shared a pint at the local tavern. ¡°I¡¯m just stopping by to speak with his Lordship about this awful gates again. I do hope he takes me up on my offer to replace them with the new stainless. I¡¯m also hoping to catch the lovely Veronica while I¡¯m here.¡± I grinned. Veronica was the Baron¡¯s daughter and I had been shamelessly flirting with her since I got here. She was a lovely young woman and it would advance my position to be married to the Nobility. ¡°Ha, you¡¯re a right scoundrel McConnell.¡± George laughed waving me through the gate to the stables. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re out of luck for the next while. Our young Baroness has traveled to the mainland to study her letters and learn more about our great nation.¡± He was all too pleased to ruin my fun. I waved to him as I rode on to the sables. Leaving my horse in the care of the stable boy I entered the manor. The Baron had few servants and often saw to his own needs within the manor so I was not surprised to find him in the foyer to greet me. I bowed ¡°Good afternoon your Lordship, it is wonderful to see you in such good health. I had heard you were ill.¡± ¡°Yes, the whole Barony gets their pants in a twist if I so much as sneeze. I miss the days where we had to worry about starving.¡± He scoffed ¡°What can I do for you, McConnell? And before you ask Vicky is not here.¡± he said grinning. He loved his daughter and found it endlessly amusing how not interested she was in me. ¡°Baron Greaves, I am here to once again implore you to replace that hideous display of metalwork you call a gate.¡± I joked, ¡°and also to do some business.¡± ¡°If I¡¯ve told you once I¡¯ve done so a hundred times, the gate stays. My wife is taken with the thing and I¡¯ll not be having a needless fight with her.¡± He led me to his study as we talked and poured us both a glass of brandy. He sat behind his desk ¡°Please sit Mike. Now, what can I do for you today?¡± ¡°Baron, I find myself in need of more land. I¡¯m planning an expansion of the Smith Works and the space we have is insufficient to the task. I would also like to discuss claiming land in the mountains to start a mining settlement and possible a small village to meet its needs.¡± ¡°I can understand needing to grow your business. You have truly done a great deal in the two months you¡¯ve been with us and I can grant you the land without a problem. Claiming land, on the other hand, is a more complicated and involved process. If you had a title it would be a minor thing but you¡¯re not of the Peerage and I can¡¯t simply give you a title because you have money and business sense. A title can only be granted to those who have done great service to the Crown and the Country. Mike, I like you. You get on well with the citizens and nobles around here, but Knoss is much larger than our tiny island. If you¡¯re serious about this I can grant you a writ to explore the mountains and establish a mining outpost under my direct leadership. You would own the land and business, but I would take forty-five percent of everything you pull out of the ground. You could bu it back of course, but you¡¯d not control the operation it would be a Baronial project.¡± He held my gaze as he laid out his counteroffer. ¡°Sir, I understand the restrictions in place and though I don¡¯t like it I will follow your lead on this. I¡¯ll get the materials and manpower together to explore the area. I can leave in a month and have something set up come spring. That will give the Crown six months to evaluate what my Smith Works is really contributing to the Country.¡± I chuckled, ¡°Then maybe we can be a little more equal in standing¡± The Baron gave me a serious look before he smiled ¡°Have it your way, McConnell. I¡¯ll keep an eye on the Smith Works and if it really is all that you hope a minor title will be waiting for you when you return. You may leave now, my Lady wife should be home soon and I¡¯ll not have you flirting with her as you do my daughter.¡± He was laughing now. We shook hands and I returned to my apartments near the Smith Works. The town was filled with traffic to and from the harbor carts stacked high with tropical fruits, colorfully birds, and high-quality steel tools my very own Smith produced. There were people in vibrant clothes dyed in a rainbow of colors walking from stores and through the market sampling the wide variety of foods and drinks found only on the Raven Isles, the newly adopted name of the archipelago. It was a prosperous town in a nation at peace and the many ships in the harbor were a testament to our growing merchant class. I walked into my apartments, which were really a large townhouse not far from the main road. I had a small stable, outbuilding for bathing and ablations, the main house had three floors and consisted of the master bedroom on the top floor, my study and workrooms on the second floor and finally servants quarters and kitchens on the ground floor. I only had two servants whom I treated as employees a younger married couple Mary and Stephan Woddright. Mary was my maid and cook while Stephan was maintenance and stable hand. After working for me for two months they were still wary of my less refined ways keeping mostly to themselves and that suited me just fine.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Good evening Mary, I will be retiring early. I¡¯m going to be away for a short time to survey some land outside of town starting tomorrow. You and Stephan have run of the place, just be sure to stay out of the workrooms.¡± I greeted her and quickly went upstairs to pack my things to return home. I was planning on bringing back several swords and longbows that had been made over the past two months by my smiths. I had managed to acquire the local bower¡¯s shop when the old proprietor retired and his son left for the mainland. I hired a woodsman to man the shop until I could find a suitable replacement. Including my original gear, resized to fit my more muscular frame, I had twenty high-quality hand-forged long swords with sheaths and belts and thirty longbows and matched leather quivers. I still knew some people in Pitt from my SCA days that would pay top dollar for my loot. I had already picked out the best for myself and hired a sword master to train me once I returned. I got up bright and early the next day and set off on the rise above town where I had first entered this World. I was going home. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª I hadn¡¯t thought this through. I arrived in the Cathedral with my horse and several bladed weapons on a Monday at the start of a semester. If I could have chosen a worse entrance back to my own world it wouldn¡¯t have been too much different than this. The only thing I had going for me was that I no longer looked too much like my I.D. so I could pretend I was a transfer student out on a lark. Campus security escorted me to the street and waited for me to mount up and head home. When I finally made it home I was shocked to see my lights on and a car in the driveway. I hadn¡¯t owned a car since I totaled my Chevy pickup in freshman year at University. The puke green Toyota Prius had New York plates and a 26 bumper sticker it could only be one person, my sister. She was fresh out of school with a totally great job in ¡®the city¡¯ and always on my case about moving to somewhere more exciting. I loved her, but she took valley girl a little too far sometimes. I stabled my horse, Buttercup, in the front yard and walked into the house carrying almost 200 pounds of gear. ¡°Stace!¡± I yelled, ¡°How about you help a brother out and carry some of my stuff upstairs.¡± I hear a muffled curse and a loud thump from the master bedroom. ¡°Uh, Mike is that you?¡± You asked poking her head down the stairs. ¡°Who the hell do you think it is?¡± I called up giving her some serious attitude ¡°And who do you have up there with you? I thought Bobby was in Nevada finishing his Masters?¡± Her eyes narrowed when she saw me, ¡°You sure as shit don¡¯t look like my brother. Mike was starting to get fat. You, you¡¯re ripped AF!¡± She smiled and came bounding down the stairs in only her underwear and an XL Penguins jersey. ¡°Haha, Come here Kid! How¡¯ve you been?¡± I caught her as she jumped from the landing. ¡°You really do look great Mike. And Damn! those muscles are legit, have you been eating steroids for breakfast or something?¡± she gave me a peck on the cheek and I set her down smiling. ¡°Or something for sure. I¡¯ve been traveling around Europe working as a blacksmith. Let me tell you that¡¯s a workout!¡± We moved to the living room where we could sit and talk. I had a big sectional and we took opposite ends. ¡°Seriously, who¡¯ve you got stashed upstairs?¡± I was curious. She was usually pretty discrete and honestly, I loved to gossip. ¡°Bobby!¡± She yelled, ¡°Come on down he¡¯s bound to find out eventually. This is his house after all.¡± Her longtime boyfriend Bobby came slinking down the stairs. ¡°Hey man.¡± He nodded ¡°You¡¯re looking good bro. I need to get some of what you¡¯re on man.¡± That was Bobby, he always talked like he was a stoner from the 70¡¯s. He was really a crazy good classical composer, but you wouldn¡¯t know it if you talked to him. ¡°Hey Bobby, what are you guys doing here? I thought you were working on that Masters and Stacy shouldn¡¯t you be at work in ¡®the City¡¯?¡± ¡°So don¡¯t get mad.¡± She was off to a great start, ¡°We¡¯re both taking some time off to find our true calling. You know like you did when you took that trip to Russia after what¡¯s her name dumped you.¡± Stacy knew just what buttons to push to take the fight right out of me. What¡¯s her name was Laura and I had been in love with her. I thought we¡¯d get married, but on Valentine¡¯s Day three years ago she slept with me and then told me she was seeing someone else. I mean talk about devastating. ¡°Damn it, Stace, you know that¡¯s a low blow.¡± I could only weakly retort. ¡°Come on Mike, we¡¯ll just be staying for a few months. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± Stacy had it in her head and she was so stubborn unless I called our Mom shed be staying. I wouldn¡¯t call that could only lead to a knockdown drag out family fight and no one wanted that. ¡°Alright, you guys can stay. You pay your own way through and I¡¯m going to be traveling for work next month and be away until spring. So take care of the place.¡± Stacy rolled her eyes ¡°I mean it, Stace if I get home and it¡¯s party central I¡¯m gonna be pissed.¡± ¡°Fine, just call before you get on the road so we can clean up.¡± She threw her 1000 watt smile at me and damn it if I didn¡¯t give in. ¡°I¡¯m gonna take a shower and then I¡¯ve got to get these weapons to the SCA guys downtown. Stacy, I¡¯m taking your car. Buttercup has been through enough.¡± ¡°Buttercup?¡± I gave her an evil smile ¡°My horse.¡± she squealed and ran out the door to entertain my noble steed. ¡°Girls and horses,¡± I mumbled under my breathe. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The drive to meet my SCA contacts was quick for someone so used to traveling long distances by horse. I would need to construct a railway to the mountains after I got the mining operation going, convenience for logistics was a secondary concern to my own comfort. I loved riding and living in Knoss, but damn it all if I didn¡¯t miss cars and other modern convenience. The local chapter of the SCA met in a park outside of the city, that during the summer it was used for ren-faires. The park was in an old wood forest and reminded me of the forests around Ravens Rest, I felt at home here. The SCA members would be practicing their swordsmanship, the perfect time to sell my wares. I was grinning like a fox in a hen house. I pulled into a small parking lot surrounded by a sparse young wooded area with a dirt path leading to the field where the SCA would practice and hold their ¡®war¡¯ events. As I got out of the car I could hear the sound of metal on metal and grunts of effort as the fighters tried to beat the hell out of each other alongside the frustrated yelling of their master at arms and my old friend Marie. ¡°John! Do you think that sword is a golf club! For the love of all that is Holy, we¡¯ve been over this for weeks and you¡¯re still flailing around like a spastic child.¡± I entered the training grounds just in time to see John throwing his training sword to the turf and huffing like a petulant child ¡°Yeah, We been over this, but when are ya gonna pony up and fight me. If you¡¯re SOO good why not put your money where your mouth is.¡± Marie simply shook her head, ¡°Kid if you think you can beat me, maybe we need to rethink out helmet strategy.¡± She turned her back and walked over my way having seen me walking up carrying two overstuffed duffel bags. ¡°Mike it¡¯s good to see you. I heard you were traveling and it looks like it really agrees with you!¡± She eyed me up and down smirking. ¡°Ha, Marie you and I both know that I¡¯m not your type.¡± I laughed. Marie was happily married to her college sweetheart and one of my first big crush, Anna. I had been devastated when I¡¯d learned they were dating but ended up spending a huge amount of my time at LGBTQ rallies and events after we¡¯d all become fast friends. ¡°You know that kid is going to be coming after you with a vengeance now?¡± I said sure that it would make no difference to Marie, a trained combat medic with the Marines and two years hard experience in ¡®The Stan¡¯ after college. ¡°Yeah he will, but I¡¯m not afraid of some two-bit chump who thinks buying good equipment makes him a good fighter. I may not be a medieval knight, but I can run circles around just about anyone here.¡± She and I walked around the field as we talked and John glared at Marie between his matches. I had to say the guy looked pretty good to me, but I wasn¡¯t much for the sword, yet. ¡°Speaking of equipment,¡± I grinned ¡°That¡¯s what brings me out here. I¡¯ve been touring around Europe learning to Smith and even met up with some pretty good old school bowyers. You think any of your people would be interested?¡± I asked sitting at a picnic table and setting the bags down. I opened them so she could have a look. She sat across from me and took a look through my merchandise her eyes widening slightly, ¡°Mikey, boy did you ever make some nice stuff here. Just one of these swords is worth a few grand and the bows are fifteen hundred easy. There¡¯s got to be a hundred grand worth of stuff here.¡± She was whispering at the end. ¡°I can definitely find some people interested in this, but I can only think of a few guys here with that kind of cash on hand.¡± She said shaking her head a little dumbfounded. ¡°I figured you¡¯d at least know someone I could offload this on. I¡¯ll be in town for a few weeks then I¡¯ll be leaving my job and traveling full time. I¡¯m thinking it¡¯s time to start my own firm, but before I do I¡¯m gonna see the world a bit.¡± I laughed. My face turned serious, ¡°I¡¯m trusting these to you, Marie. You sell them and I¡¯ll give you ten percent and you get your pick of the swords. What do you say?¡± ¡°Haha, Mike no need to get so serious. I¡¯ll help you out and I appreciate the kick back. Anna and I have been looking at taking a cruise and that''ll make that happen; she¡¯ll thank me all night long for that.¡± She barked out a laugh that drew her fighters eyes to us. I just rolled my eyes and stood, shaking her hand my business here was done. ¡°Thanks, Marie¡± I called over my shoulder as I walked back to the car. I¡¯d be sure to visit her and Anna before I left again; It¡¯d be nice to catch up and get a little drunk. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª That Sunday I spent relaxing at home with Stacy and Bobby. We watched the Pen¡¯s get creamed by the Capitols and drank what was left of my beer. I talked to them about my plans to travel and then start up my own engineering firm. Bobby was skeptical of the plan, but my sister had my back and encouraged me to follow my dream. It was a nice day and I went to bed feeling energized about my plans for the future. The next morning was my first day back to work in two months and it was like I never left. The office drama was the same, the company was still looking to cut costs and make us efficient machines of commerce. It was exhausting after spending time as an employer and businessman in Knoss. The end of the day came slowly as I worked through tedious redesigns that with my perfect recall and newfound knowledge of materials felt like child¡¯s play. I was in my boss¡¯ office as the final bell rang and the rest of the staff was leaving for the day. I had spent my lunch writing up a tastefully worded letter of resignation and expected him to offer me a severance and kick me to the curb. They weren¡¯t big on the whole two weeks thing here, why pay an employee that¡¯s got one foot out the door. I could understand it as a businessman myself, but it still felt a little dehumanizing to me. My boss was a tall man in his early sixties. He was trim, but not fit, one of those guys whose metabolism keep him from gaining weight even as he aged. He was dressed in a nice suit, his tie loosed and glasses sitting on the desk in front of him. He sighed and looked at me his eyes held a weariness that I¡¯d never noticed before. ¡°Mike, I¡¯m sorry you¡¯ll be leaving the company and to be honest I can¡¯t blame you. I remember when I stared here thirty years ago.¡± His gaze got that far away quality of someone reliving the past, ¡°It was a different world and companies took care of their people. I¡¯m tired.¡± He sighed again, ¡°It¡¯s about time I retire as well and I¡¯ll be taking everything I can from our corporate stooge owners before I go.¡± His eyes set with a determination and fire that startled me. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m not sure how this pertains to my leaving. Why are you telling me this?¡± He gave me a genuine smile, ¡°That is of course because I¡¯m giving you the most generous severance package that we can offer. They authorized me to give you this if you threatened to take any of their projects to a competitor since they didn¡¯t have a no-compete or confidentiality clause for draftsman at your level. Stupid cost cutting bastards, I told them it would come back and bite em¡¯. But no, I was just a veteran of the Industry.¡± He laughed and handed me my dismissal package. It was a staggering five years salary. My face must have betrayed my surprise, ¡°Mike it¡¯s a very good deal, the only thing is that you have to sign the NDA.¡± He slid the paperwork over to me and I signed without reservation. ¡°Done,¡± I smiled ¡°easiest decision I¡¯ve ever made. They don¡¯t have anything Earth-shattering anyway.¡± I laughed. I stood shook his hand and left forever. I really hope he finds his happiness. New Beginnings All the world¡¯s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts¡­ ~As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616 I walked out of work feeling lighter, free in this world for the first time since my childhood. It was a strange feeling and a welcome one. It was time to start a new chapter in my life. I had been a student and an employee in this world my whole life, it was exciting to have new roads open before me. Okay, I have a month before anyone expects me back in Knoss and I have to lay a proper foundation there. What I need is some ground-penetrating radar to map the mountains and find mineral deposits, that should get the mining operations going. I¡¯d like to get some satellites in orbit to map out the Island, and it¡¯s surroundings, but that could cost a boatload, and I¡¯d need way better infrastructure to run it. An idea for the future hopefully I can get to that level in a few years. I walked to Buttercup, I¡¯d taken to riding everywhere, it may have looked strange, but I was still in Pennsylvania horse and carriage were not too unusual here. ¡°Hey, girl. You ready to get going, we have a few stops to make before we can go home.¡± I cooed at my horse, everyone has their ¡®animal voice,¡¯ Okay?! We mounted up and began our journey. First stop, professional excavators, who hopefully have some spar radar and peripherals to sell. That severance was burning a hole in my wallet. As I rode, receiving the occasional honking from passing cars, I thought. The first step should be getting my mining operations in Knoss going. I can fund that with gold from here and then use my finished products to make more money here. Swords and bows are good, but I¡¯ll need other things as well. Saturating the market is never good. Once I get enough capital together starting an Engineering firm won¡¯t be too hard, but I¡¯d like to grab some mining and aerospace firms and vertically integrate the companies to make the first space mining venture. With my materials knowledge and Blacksmithing skill I know I can make and use space-age alloys and even make some alloys that we don¡¯t know about yet, but the industry to make use of that and also the Chemistry isn¡¯t there, however. I¡¯d be fumbling in the dark, but it¡¯s an exciting option. I started to laugh Me with a fleet of spaceships! Awesome!! That¡¯s the plan, for now, It¡¯ll take some serious work and time or a tremendous amount of luck and maybe some new Advancements if I can find more points. The ride was quick, the engineering firm and other industrial companies occupying the same district of the city. The excavating company consisted of a large warehouse building with offices in the front and a massive yard for all the big earth moving equipment that was needed to change the landscape to suit human needs. It was an impressive sight for a businessman and blacksmith coming from Knoss, and it¡¯s middle age technology. I had seen equipment like this before, but never with any real idea of the working hours each represented. I had come from a world of wondrous convenience. I left Buttercup ¡®parked¡¯ at the entrance and walked into the office. ¡°Good afternoon, I was hoping someone could help me with some questions I have about equipment rentals or purchasing?¡± I asked the young woman at the front reception desk. She looked like she was just out of college or possibly interning for the company, cute in a girl-next-door kind of way and unassuming, but when she spoke it was with a level of authority that I wouldn¡¯t assume she possessed. Guess I¡¯m still sexist even with my 21st-century upbringing and liberal education I chuckled. ¡°Sir, I¡¯ll be with you in a moment. I¡¯m the manager here, just filling in for Ned, my receptionist. He¡¯s just run out to get lunch.¡± ¡°Not a problem Miss. I can sit here?¡± I asked pointing to the chairs along the opposite wall. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s why the chairs are there.¡± She rolled her eyes. I laughed openly smiling at her. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± She asked a little off-put by my laughter. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just laughing at myself a bit.¡± I shrugged and sat down. She narrowed her eyes at me, but soon went back to the computer screen in front of her and clicked away on the keys. Twenty minutes later a tall, lanky man about my age walked in carrying a take-out bag that smelled divine. It smells like they ¡¯re going to have Indian, a lot of curry. My stomach grumbled loudly, and I had the presence of mind to look a little ashamed, ¡°Sorry, been a while since lunch.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I know it, man!¡± Ned replied, ¡°This one is a slave driver.¡± He winked my way and bowed theatrically to the young woman. ¡°Ned! That¡¯s no way to behave in front of clients.¡± she reprimanded, but barely contained her smile. ¡°Now Mr¡­¡± ¡°McConnell, Miss¡­¡± ¡°You can call me Nancy. I¡¯m the owner¡¯s daughter. If you¡¯ll follow me, Mr. McConnell.¡± She leads me to a small office that overlooked the yard. There were pictures of her with a middle-aged man I assumed to be her father. Most of the photos they were smiling in front of gigantic earth movers, it was apparent she had been involved in the business for some time even it was hanging around her dad. There were also framed diplomas from Stanford and MIT, very impressive for such a young person. I¡¯d only finished my degree in Mechanical Engineering after six years of on and off classes. ¡°Nancy, it looks like you¡¯re quite the academic,¡± I said sitting facing the desk. ¡°I¡¯m impressed dealing with someone so accomplished; you¡¯ll be able to help me. I¡¯m sure.¡± I tried to charm her. She was smiling a very professional smile, and I knew that shallow compliments or praise wouldn¡¯t easily move her. She¡¯d worked hard to be where she is today despite her family connections, and I¡¯d have to try very hard to impress her. I was outmatched, and she knew it. ¡°So, what is it I can help you with?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking to buy some Ground Penetrating Radar for mining operations. I¡¯d need a whole system possibly including any infrastructure add-ons.¡± She quirked an eyebrow, ¡°I¡¯ll be operating in remote areas doing surveys for less developed countries. I¡¯m sure you know the type. I can¡¯t get into specifics, unfortunately.¡± ¡°Mr. McConnell I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware that this is an excavation company and even though we do use GPR on occasion we aren¡¯t a retailer of said equipment. I can put you in touch with our sales guy, but that¡¯s the best I can do. If you need some older excavation equipment, I can help with that. We do have several older models in our fleet that I need to get rid of so we can buy something more state-of-the-art.¡± She looked at me expectantly. ¡°Your sales guy¡¯s info would be a huge help. I¡¯m not in a position to buy any equipment State¡¯s side at the moment, but maybe later on down the line.¡± I stood and shook her hand. ¡°Ned can get you the contact info. Thanks for stopping by, next time do please buy something. Our services are very competitive.¡± She dismissed me with a wave. I got the info I needed from Ned and left. Not exactly what I was expecting, but at least I¡¯ve got somewhere to start. I mounted Buttercup, and we trotted off.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª I spent the rest of the week on the phone with salespeople and researching the history of mining and metalworking. I may have a ton of knowledge about materials science, but I needed a better understanding of how and when different processes were developed and implemented in our world. It also leads me to understand better the conflicts and social developments that the new technology gave rise to. I would need to know all of this so that I could better prepare Ravens Rest for the future I had planned, It was to become the seat of an industrial empire. It was Friday night, and I had a date with Marie and Anna at their house for dinner. Marie had called earlier in the week to tell me she¡¯d sold all the weapons and had about 100 grand for me. It was a good chunk of change, and I¡¯d use it to buy more gold I could use in Knoss. I¡¯d need it once the Crown decided to give me a landed title. I fully expected the steel I was producing to win over the Royals as it was much better than what their neighbors had and I would commission a steel steamship before leaving for the mining expedition, that alone would show every country that Knoss was small but mighty. I arrived early with a bottle of cheap wine. Marie and Anna¡¯s house was in Squirrel Hill; it was a modest home made of brick with ivy crawling up to the roof. They had an attached garage and Marie¡¯s truck sat in the driveway; I left Buttercup tied to the tree out front and walked to the back gate. I knew they¡¯d be sitting on the back porch getting started on some wine, grilling, and it was a beautiful day in late May perfect for a lovely evening on the porch with some burgers. ¡°Hail the house!¡± I yelled as I walked around the corner. ¡°And Hail the guest!¡± Anna laughed, Marie had wine coming out her nose. I¡¯d caught them off guard, and she¡¯d laughed with a mouth full that just caused Anna and I to crack up even more. Being with old friends was nice. ¡°Mike it¡¯s so good to see you.¡± Anna hugged me and took the wine inside to pour. ¡°Have a seat I¡¯ll bring you a glass.¡± She called as she walked away. I sat across from Marie. ¡°Mr. Money Bags.¡± She threw a mock salute, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you and thanks again for the cut. Anna is over the moon that we can finally take that trip.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s the least I could do. You did sell everything!¡± ¡°What are you two talking about? You know it¡¯s rude to ignore your host.¡± Anna joked walking back out and handing me a glass before closing the screen door. ¡°I was asking Marie about your plans this summer. I have it on good authority you¡¯ll be taking a bit of a trip.¡± I gave her a wry smile. ¡°Haha, Yes! My darling wife here finally decided I was good enough to treat like a real lady.¡± She leaned over pecking Marie on the cheek taking some of the bit out of her sarcasm. ¡°We¡¯re going at the end of August for a week all around the Caribbean. It will be wonderful!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so glad! I¡¯ve been traveling myself, and I know it¡¯s about the best experience in the world.¡± I smiled taking a drink of my wine. ¡°I also wanted to talk to you guys about a possible business deal.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Marie eyed me suspiciously, ¡°What did you have in mind.¡± ¡°I know Marie here is still in with the SCA and I happen to be a pretty good blacksmith these days. I was thinking about opening a shop here in town and selling some of my creations.¡± I stood and did a little twirl. I was wearing my modified gear. ¡°Mike I know you dressed up for us but what does it have to do with blacksmithing?¡± Anna asked perplexed by my impromptu fashion show. ¡°Well my dear, this happens to be an armored outfit. I bought the clothes and modified them to have some Kevlar, ring-mail, and ballistic plate sewn in. It¡¯s a custom job that you¡¯d pay a few thousand for. I can do that for just about anything from LARP to real body armor for VIPs. I also make swords, daggers, and the like. It¡¯d be a small market to start, but we could grow it and make a good bit of money. What do you say?¡± The girls were a little taken back by my pitch, and Marie was scrutinizing my outfit, running her fingers throughout it checking it¡¯s quality. ¡°Mike, this is outstanding work, the stitching could be better, but the mail and plates are top-notch. This would cost as much as a high-end fashion piece.¡± She whistled softly, ¡°You can make these custom?¡± ¡°I really can.¡± I sat and took up my glass, ¡°To partners?¡± I asked raising it. Marie nodded, and Anna joined us in the toast. ¡°To partners, Now who will run the shop? I¡¯ve been teaching at the museum and Marie is trying out for EMT.¡± ¡°I was hoping Marie could take point. I¡¯ve got the funds to start the shop right away and expand later, but I¡¯ll be traveling and perfecting my craft. I¡¯ve got some forges lined up to visit and can use their stuff to get started. We¡¯ll need to build a forge of our own eventually.¡± I looked at Marie expectantly. ¡°Mikey, Mikey, Mikey what will we do with you. I can run it for now, but you¡¯re gonna hire someone full-time. I want to put my medical training to good use. You¡¯ve got me for six months tops. And we want twenty-five percent.¡± She grinned. ¡°Done!¡± a handshake completed the deal. ¡°Now, what¡¯s for dinner.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª That next Monday found me in North Shore looking at an old warehouse. It was in my price range and with a bit of work I could have an excellent Workshop here even going so far as to expand it with my engineering firm down the road. The realtor was going on and on about development opportunities to Marie, but I was sold and just needed to let the old man run out of steam. ¡°And so you could put in some open apartments or even three or four retail spaces!¡± Finally, he finished his spiel. ¡°Where do I sign?¡± I asked walking up to the pair, ¡°I like the space. It has a lot of potential as a workshop and retail location for what we have planned. I¡¯ve got a twenty-five percent down payment ready with collateral. The bank approved a five hundred thousand dollar loan for startup capital. Get me the paperwork.¡± The poor guy was dumbstruck, he¡¯d be getting five percent of the sale, and I hadn¡¯t even talked him down. The location would cost two hundred and that left three for development and hiring. Marie was shaking her head and laughing as the realtor ran out to the car to get the paperwork started. ¡°Mike, you know it¡¯ll still be about three months before we get the place renovated and ready to work in?¡± She asked ¡°Yeah, I know, and I trust you to take care of it. Focus on the retail store, that way I can start selling what I make on my travels. Speaking of, I¡¯ll be leaving at the end of the week. You can expect a shipment about two weeks from now with everything else I¡¯ve made up to now. Should get you started.¡± I pace around our new building. It was a turn of the century building made of brick with high vaulted ceilings and big windows mostly boarded up. The building was about as big a football field with two stories, and the upper would be converted into apartments and offices while the bottom floor would hold forge, workshops, and retail areas. It wasn¡¯t quite in the heart of the city that lay across the river to the east, but it was within the major corridor and boasted a big parking lot in the rear. ¡°You¡¯re gonna leave all this to me? It¡¯s a lot of responsibility what if I frack it up?!¡± Marie was a bit peeved about my whirlwind tour through town. ¡°I trust you, and I¡¯ll be by once a month or so to check up on things. If sales are anything like the first run, you¡¯ll be fine. And even if we only make enough to cover expenses the first year, it¡¯s no big deal.¡± I put my hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes, ¡°Marie you are one of the toughest people I know, this shouldn¡¯t be a blip for you. What¡¯s really on your mind?¡± ¡°Anna¡¯s been talking about adoption again.¡± She pulled away and turned her back to me, ¡°You know I want kids, but it¡¯s too soon. She just started teaching, and I¡¯m between three different jobs, I need this to work Mike. My family¡¯s future is riding on it. We¡¯ve been friends for more than ten years, and I trust you, but this is a big step, and I¡¯m scared, man.¡± ¡°Damn, that¡¯s some heavy shit Marine.¡± I tried to lighten the mood. ¡°You know I¡¯ll have you back. You both have been my best friends for most of my adult life. You¡¯re family as much as Stace and Bobby, even if this doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll figure it out together. I¡¯m not saying it won¡¯t work because I¡¯m sure it will and we¡¯ll be rolling in cash! Like Donald Duck in a mountain of gold, LOADED!¡± Marie finally turned around and punched me playfully in the shoulder, ¡°You are the biggest dork I know. And thanks, Mike.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got my charms.¡± I grinned. ¡°One more thing.¡± I waved her closer and whispered, ¡°Can we put a shooting range and combat training room in the basement? But you know on the QT.¡± She gave me a severe glare, ¡°What are you really up to, is this like your superhero fortress or something?¡± I laughed as the realtor came back with the paperwork, ¡°Something like that and you¡¯re my sidekick, haha.¡± We finished up the deal and went our separate ways. I told Marie I¡¯d have the designs drawn up and sent to the contractor by the end of the week. We both agreed to work on the basement ourselves when time and funds allowed. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The next day my GPR gear arrived by truck to the new building and I had it packed in wooden crates and stored there until I had to leave. I needed a nice truck to haul all this equipment, but I¡¯d need to hide it from the people of Knoss. My best bet would be an all-purpose electric vehicle of some kind. A little research later and I had a new Polaris with the off-road package and mobile charging station entirely independent of the grid. I spent a full day retrofitting it to look like a steam engine to avoid too many questions when someone saw it. I was planning a steamship already; this would seem like the toy of a mad inventor to most people. The rest of the week I spent on tedious planning and drafting of the plans for the new business. I sent them off to our contractor, and he gave me a six-month time-frame for completion, I told him to get the retail space open in a month, and I¡¯d pay for the rush job. He had happily agreed. With that attended to I got to work on the steamship. The materials were vital to this, and I knew exactly how to make them. My crude Bessemer furnace could make stainless tool steel quickly, and I¡¯d use that as the mainstay of my ship. It would be massive and require a newly developed and designed steam engine, that I had based on historical models with some modern fail-safes built in. The ship, I¡¯d named her the Tyche after the Greek Goddess of Fate, would be a massive ship at 300 feet long, 35 wide at her widest point, and draft at only 20 feet. She was with ten boilers, four triple expansion engines, and twin propellers this would make her a fast and maneuverable ship. The amount of time it would take to complete the shipyard let alone the ship would be four to six months with the Tyche taking another six months to perfect, but it would be well worth it to rule the seas and create the infrastructure for more ships like her. She was with ten powerful compound/repeating ballista, an invention of his devising that would incorporate the steam power to draw and fire the large weapons up to 2000 feet with considerable stopping power. I finally finished my design binge on Sunday afternoon. It¡¯s time to pack up my gear, get Buttercup, and head out. I¡¯ll take the APV, and the GPR do a quick scan of the mountains for a few days and head back to Ravens Rest to set up my expedition. It will probably take a month of travel for all the miners and builders to get to a good site. I¡¯ll have to drop off Marie¡¯s first order before we leave. I got to the warehouse and found it empty; the work crews must take Sundays off. I piled all my gear into the APV hitched Buttercup to it and felt around me for the familiar feeling of Raven¡¯s Rest. I had found that if I had the sense of a place memorized, I could Travel to a predetermined spot within that world, but it took a long time to resonate with the area. Frequent trips and strong emotional ties would be the best ¡®tethers¡¯, one of the reasons I ended up on Pitt¡¯s campus was all the hours I¡¯d spent studying there. When I came back home, I hadn¡¯t focused and popped up in the Cathedral without much planning, and I would not be making that mistake again. I started the APV¡¯s engine, it coughed and sputtered like a real steam engine, and drove out onto the hills above Ravens Rest a broad smile on my face.