《Baker's Isekai》 Chapter 1: Your Classic Isekai Beginning Artificial overhead lights flickered in the office. The pounding in Evie¡¯s head intensified. The dry, recycled air felt harsh in her nose, and she knew that if she blew her nose, a bit of dried blood would probably come out. She was pissed off and stressed out. Worse, she was running out of time. Evie¡¯s fingers flew across the keyboard, her eyes flicking up to the clock on the wall every few seconds. This report should have been done last week. She could have done it last week. She just¡­didn¡¯t. And now she was running right up against the deadline, and even as she frantically typed out the report due at 5:00pm, she found that she still didn¡¯t care. Marketing for giant food manufacturer had never been her dream job. It was just a ¡°pay the bills job¡±. It was her ¡°first job out of college¡± job. Except it had been five years since her college days, and she was still in the same job at the same company, with a few promotions to tide her over. Now here she was, trying to make herself to give a flying fuck about data analysis from the latest low-calorie bread campaign (of course, she would argue that low-calorie bread wasn¡¯t really bread at all, just sadness pretending to be bread). To trick herself into productivity, Evie was forcing her body into fight or flight mode via severe procrastination. It worked, mostly. She felt the anxiety ¨C the adrenaline and cortisol flooding her system to give her the energy to fight off a predator. Even if her predator was just her boss¡¯s wrath. With five minutes left, Evie typed up the last paragraph and sent the report to her boss. She didn¡¯t proofread or format or any of that shit. It was fine. It was good enough. She didn¡¯t really care either way. Evie was done. She turned off her computer and switched from her office heals to her comfy commuting sneakers. Shrugging on her coat, she waved to Max and Tina, her cubicle neighbors. They had all sat next to each other for three years now, and honestly, Evie knew nothing about them. Well, she knew that Tina had two kids, and that Max got in trouble last year for streaming movies on his computer. But that was about it. Frigid wind greeted Evie as she stepped out of the office and into the winter cold. She drew her coat tight around her waist and made a beeline for the metro. It was already dark outside, even though it was barely 5:00pm. All around her, crowds of people bustled by, huddled in their coats, eyes on the ground. Most had headphones in as well, playing music or podcasts that would let them keep out the world. Evie was one of them. She put on her over-the-ear headphones and turned on her lasted audiobook, about a book shop owner who solves mysteries in her small town. It was rote, predictable, and scratched some sort of comfort nerve in her brain. The metro was crowded. Well, it was always crowded in Washington, D.C. rush hour. Especially at Metro Center, where all the office workers transferred to their routes home. Evie pushed her way onto the train. It was completely packed. Evie had to stand uncomfortably close to strangers. Everyone was packed in together, desperately not making eye contact, trying to get lost in their own little worlds. After a couple of stops, Evie pushed her way off the train again. She took the escalator leading out into her neighborhood. A few homeless men sat near the entrance to the metro station. One started to talk to her, but she just walked past with her headphones on, as if they weren¡¯t even there. It was sad. She felt guilty about it. But she still didn¡¯t stop. She walked another block, staring into the restaurants with their bright, cozy glow. Many of them had string lights hung up for the holidays. Inside, she could see couples and families sitting down to early dinners, smiling and laughing together. Evie walked on. At the end of the block, a familiar shopfront came into view. Rows of display cases lined the windows, mostly empty this time of day. But there were still a few shining pastries and crusty sourdough loaves. Gold lettering stretched across the window, spelling out Bread First Bakery. For the first time all day, Evie¡¯s smile felt real. The chime above the door rang softly as Evie entered the bakery. A voice called out from the back. ¡°Be with you in a sec!¡± Evie bent down to look at the scant selection left for the end of the day. A few deep golden croissants, glazed with an egg wash; two palmier; a lone raisin walnut loaf; and a lemon tart topped with thick merengue. ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t my favorite customer!¡± A tall, thin woman stepped behind the counter. Her blond hair was streaked with gray, and smile lines were a permanent fixture around her warm brown eyes. ¡°Hey Cindy. How¡¯s business today?¡± Cindy flapped her hand dismissively. ¡°Oh, you know. People buy things. Some people are nice. Some people are assholes.¡± Evie smiled again, and found herself relieved to truly smile, not the fake office grins she gave to people who didn¡¯t really care about her. ¡°Any good stories today?¡± ¡°Oh no, it was fine,¡± replied Cindy. ¡°It¡¯s a weekday. We only see chaos and bloodshed on Sunday mornings.¡± Both women laughed as Evie turned her attention back to the display. ¡°Could I get the last lemon tart?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Cindy started boxing up the tart. ¡°And how are you? How was your day?¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Evie shrugged. ¡°It was stressful.¡± She sighed. ¡°I just¡­I just¡­¡± Horrified, Evie realized she was starting to tear up. She blinked, trying to push the tears back into her skull or wherever tears came from, but it didn¡¯t work. ¡°Oh, Evie.¡± Cindy stepped around the counter and pulled Evie into a hug, her arms wrapped tight around Evie¡¯s back. It felt so nice. So nice for someone to care. Evie gasped for air, fighting back the sob making its way up her throat. Cindy pulled away and looked into Evie¡¯s face. ¡°Why don¡¯t we sit down for a moment, hmm?¡± Evie shook her head. ¡°You have to man the counter. What if someone comes in?¡± ¡°Then I can go back to the counter for a moment. See? Easy,¡± said Cindy. The older woman guided Evie to a table opposite the counter, pulling the chair out so Evie could sit with her back to the storefront. So no one would see her cry. The simple gesture made her want to cry again. Cindy sat down and grasped her hands. ¡°Now, what¡¯s going on?¡± It all came rushing out of her between sniffles and wiping away tears. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­I hate my job. All I do is make money for people I don¡¯t care about, who create food that sucks, by the way. Don¡¯t buy that new low-calorie bread, it¡¯s shit. And no one really cares about me. And I don¡¯t feel any sense of joy or fulfilment or purpose in my life. And all I¡¯ve been able to think today is, ¡®this can¡¯t be all there is for me. This can¡¯t be right.¡¯ I¡¯m just so lonely and angry. But I¡¯m not just angry at my job or my company or whatever. I¡¯m angry at myself, which is awful, but it¡¯s true. I¡¯m angry that I¡¯ve been numb for so long that I stopped caring about what my life could be.¡± Cindy listened and nodded a long through her rant. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Evie. Really. It¡¯s no easy thing, to realize you¡¯re unhappy. We¡­bury it. I think. To protect ourselves. But you know, now. Right? You know, and you can do something about it.¡± Evie sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± She wiped snot away with a napkin. ¡°I need to change. I can¡¯t keep doing this. But I don¡¯t know what I want to do.¡± ¡°What do you like to do?¡± Cindy asked. Evie thought about it. ¡°I like reading, and going for long walks, and swimming, and video games, and baking cookies.¡± She laughed. ¡°Fuck, that¡¯s such a short list of things I like.¡± Cindy laughed. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a start.¡± She stood up and went to the counter, pulling a flyer from the wall. She handed it to Evie. ¡°On Saturday nights, we host pastry arts programs. How to make different types of dough, the chemistry of sugar, how to make a macaron without cracking the shell, that sort of thing. Why don¡¯t you come this weekend? We¡¯re going through how to make ¨¦clairs without overworking the dough.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Classic pitfall. Half the so-called bakeries and patisseries in D.C. do it.¡± Evie looked at the shining pastries on the flyer, and felt the knot inside her loosen. ¡°How much is it to attend?¡± Cindy shook her head. ¡°For you? First class is on the house. If you like it, we¡¯ll talk about program fees.¡± She leaned in. ¡°Just don¡¯t tell the other attendees. It¡¯s our little secret, okay?¡± Evie nodded slowly. ¡°Thank you, Cindy. This is¡­This is really kind of you.¡± The other woman smiled and patted Evie¡¯s hands. ¡°The world needs a little more kindness, I think.¡± She winked conspiratorially. ¡°And you¡¯re one of my best customers. We¡¯ve got to keep you happy.¡± Evie snorted. ¡°I knew it.¡± The chime over the door ringed as a new customer walked through the door. Cindy straightened, patting Evie on the back. ¡°You sit here as long as you want.¡± The flyer in her hands felt right. Evie carefully folded it and tucked it in her back. She opened the box with her lemon merengue tart, looking at the artfully swirled baked merengue sitting perfectly on top. With a careful hand, Evie sliced into the tart, watching as the bright yellow curd came into view atop a flaky, buttery crust. It was beautiful. She used her fork to cut away a healthy bite. It was delicious. Perfect balanced between the sugary, light merengue and the tart, dense lemon curd. Evie savored the bite, letting the sugar work its dopamine magic in her brain. It was comforting. Normally, she ate on her couch, watching TV, and she hardly even tasted the food. Here, sitting down in the shop, savoring each bite¡­it felt right. Yes, she thought. She would go to the pastry classes. That felt right. With a lighter heart, Evie packed up the rest of the tart to eat at home. She waved goodbye to Cindy and bundled up in her coat once more. Stepping out into the cold night air, Evie turned to walk home. And even though it was still cold, and dark, and she still had a job she hated, Evie felt better. Things were going to get better. Evie would make them better. She was ready for change. She was ready to make a life of joy. Of purpose. She didn¡¯t know what it would look like, exactly, but she wouldn¡¯t settle anymore. Evie stepped onto the crosswalk near her apartment. She didn¡¯t see the car coming. A horn blared. Headlights filled her vision, blinding her. There was pain. So much pain. People shouting, screaming. Blinding light, then darkness. Finally, there was nothing left at all. Evie was weightless, surrounded by a sea of stars. It wasn¡¯t cold, or hot, or uncomfortable. It was¡­soft, somehow. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the right word. But she couldn¡¯t think of a word in the English language that could describe how she felt at that moment. Soft. Malleable, maybe. In her vision, a series of symbols appeared in front of her, glowing bright. They flipped and rearranged and reformed into words she could understand.
You have reached the After. You are eligible for two paths.
Ding! You are eligible for: Atomic Exploration. Prerequisite: none. You have lived your life. Now, your atoms will return to the universe. You will not remain as you are, but you will live on in the flowers, the stars, the planets, and so many other things. There will be peace, and the knowledge that your body will go on to nourish life in a thousand different ways.
Ding! You are eligible for: Transfer. Prerequisite: Your life ended during both a metaphorical and physical crossroads. New paths appear. New possibilities arise. What life would you lead, given a second chance? You will be transferred to a new world occupied by your current species or closest equivalent, at a youthful yet independent age. You may encounter minor physiological adjustments to enable System assistance.
Would you like to select [Atomic Exploration] or [Transfer]?
Oh, she thought. Oh. That could be¡­interesting. She mentally selected [Transfer]. Once more, her world went dark. Chapter 2: Salt and Sea ¡°Is she¡­dead?¡± The sound of a muffled slap echoed in her ears. ¡°No, you dunce,¡± replied a female voice. ¡°She¡¯s not dead. Tide Mother save us.¡± The other voice, male, spoke again. ¡°Why is she, you know, naked?¡± ¡°How should I know? Turn around and give me your sweater. It will cover her well enough.¡± Gentle hands pushed something over her head, sliding on some sort of soft fabric. Evie sighed, blinking open her eyes. An older woman stared down at her, smiling as she straightened the thick sweater that went past her thighs. ¡°Hello, sweetheart.¡± A hand brushed against her forehead. A warm energy filled her body. ¡°Well, you¡¯re not injured. That¡¯s good. That¡¯s really good.¡± The woman hummed. ¡°Can you tell me your name sweetheart?¡± ¡°Evelyn,¡± she replied. ¡°But I go by Evie.¡± She tried to sit up. The woman helped. ¡°Evie,¡± the woman replied. ¡°That¡¯s a lovely name. I¡¯m Trianne, but everyone calls me Nan.¡± She pointed to the man who was studiously turned away. He waved backwards over his shoulder. ¡°And this is my husband, Marrel.¡± "Hello," he said, but still didn''t turn around. Nan grinned. "It''s safe to turn around now, my dear." Marrel peaked over his shoulder before he turned, laughing nervously and scratching at his head. "Nice to meet you," he directed at Evie. Both of them were older than her, perhaps middle-aged. Nan had a round, kind face, warm brown eyes and a halo of riotous blond curls. Marrel was a tall, thick-chested man with a deeply tanned and weathered face, like he¡¯d spent all his life in the sun. His dark hair was long and tied back, making his widow¡¯s peak and receding hairline even more prominent. ¡°Now, Evie,¡± Nan continued. ¡°How do you feel? Does anything hurt?¡± Evie thought about it but shook her head. ¡°No, I feel fine. Great, even.¡± Nan smiled. ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear that. Do you remember how you got here?¡± Evie frowned ¡°Where is here?¡± She looked around and found that she was sitting on a beach. Not white and sandy, but full of smooth black pebbles. It looked to be a small cove, with cliff sides on either side of the beach hiding it from view. The water was a bright, cerulean blue. At the edge of the beach, a rocky path led into dense forests full of some type of fir or coniferous trees. The breeze picked up for a moment, carrying the strong smell of salt water. Nan nodded along as if that was a totally normal question. In a soothing voice, she answered, ¡°You¡¯re on Bar Island, a few miles out from Brinestone.¡± Evie frowned. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know where that is. There was an accident, I think. And then¡­¡± She thought of the options that appeared before her in that strange, in between place. ¡°I had a choice, I think. I don¡¯t exactly remember. I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Nan clucked and looked at Marrel. ¡°A ritual gone wrong, perhaps?" She shook her head and turned back to Evie. "Can you stand, sweetheart? How do your legs feel?¡± Evie pushed herself to her knees. Marrel came forward, offering his hand. She took it, leveraging it to pull herself off the ground. She paused, focusing on how her body felt. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I think. At least, nothing feels wrong.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Marrel started, ¡°What about ¨C¡± Nan cut him off with a glare. ¡°That¡¯s great, Evie. Now, if it¡¯s alright with you, I¡¯d like to take you to the infirmary in town, just to get a second opinion and make sure you¡¯re totally okay. Then we can chat more and sort everything out. How does that sound?¡± Evie thought about it. Nan had a good energy to her. Motherly, maybe. But Evie wasn¡¯t going to be totally honest with her just yet. She couldn¡¯t exactly say, ¡®I died, saw a bunch of floating words, and landed in a new world, completely naked.¡¯ She didn¡¯t want to risk a one-way ticket to the looney bin. Also, it was a little annoying that the universe couldn¡¯t send her to a new world with some appropriate clothing. That could have gone very badly. But she thought she could trust Nan...for now. ¡°Sure,¡± Evie replied. ¡°That sounds fine.¡± The woman turned to Marrel. ¡°Can you get the cart from the house?¡± Marrel brought his hand up in a salute. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± He bent down, kissed Nan¡¯s cheek, and waved at Evie. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in fifteen minutes.¡± With a nod from Nan, he turned towards the woods and started running in what appeared to be a full-on, Olympian-level sprint. ¡°Wow, he¡¯s fast,¡± Evie noted. Nan smiled. ¡°Oh, he used to be a courier on the mainland. Kept up a few skills that help from time to time. Do you feel up to walking for a bit? We could meet Marrel at the road. It¡¯s not far, maybe ten minutes if we¡¯re slow.¡± At Evie¡¯s nod, Nan pulled Evie¡¯s arm through hers and they walked together. Evie shivered and watched her feet, stepping carefully over the rocks. Nan kept pace with her, guiding her towards smoother boulders. Once they arrived at the dirt path at the back of the beach, Nan paused and looked down at Evie''s bare feet. ¡°Maybe we should wait here for Marrel to carry you back to the cart¡­¡± Evie thought of her current state, mostly her lack of underwear, and shook her head. Marrel seemed kind enough, but that was a bit much. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she assured Nan. ¡°We can walk slow.¡± They inched their way through the woods. Bird song rang out across the canopy. She heard the scurry of small creatures across the forest floor. It smelled like Christmas trees and fresh earth, and Evie found herself breathing deep. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful here,¡± she commented. Nan smiled. ¡°I think so, too.¡± She paused. ¡°Do you¡­do you know if you¡¯re from somewhere nearby? Maybe on the mainland?¡± Evie frowned. ¡°What country is the mainland?¡± ¡°Cairn,¡± Nan replied. Evie thought about it for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of Cairn. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening.¡± Nan patted her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about it, sweetheart. We¡¯ll get everything sorted soon enough.¡± It was quiet in the woods, peaceful. It looked almost like the coast of Maine, where Evie spent one summer as a child at nature camp. The evergreen forests, the rocky beaches, the crisp ocean air were all familiar, yet foreign enough to be clearly somewhere else. The bark of the trees was a saturated dark brown, and each individual pine needle on the tree branched off into five or six tendrils. Some sort of bluish moss grew atop fallen trees and rocks near the path. Evie thought she saw a bird with two tails fly overhead. ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± commented Nan. After another few minutes, a branch snapped nearby. Nan stilled, looking into the tree line. Evie frowned. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Nan raised her hand in a quieting gesture. "Shhh," she whispered, turning her body towards the woods. "Evie, I want you to run down the path to the road, alright? You need to ¨C" Something large and covered in fur slammed through bushes next to the path and roared. It looked like a bear, almost, except that its fur was¡­green? Nan stepped in front of Evie. She screamed towards the other end of the woods, ¡°Marrel! Marrel!¡± She shouted her husband''s name over and over again even as her hands stretched out in front of the bear and she twisted a ring on her right hand. The bear creature growled, low and menacing, its teeth long and sharp. Evie froze. It was a bear, right? But it was different. Dark green fur, a wider face, and some seriously sharp claws. She stared hard at the creature and jolted back as words appeared in the top corner of her vision.
[Moss Bear, lvl 22]
Ding! You have learned a new skill: [Identify, lvl 1]
¡°Holy shit,¡± she gasped. ¡°Holy fucking shit.¡± Chapter 3: A Brave New World The moss bear roared and charged. It ran straight to them. Evie didn¡¯t have time to think. So she did something¡­possibly incredibly stupid. Sure, Nan had ordered to run. On some level, she knew that she should run. But that damned fight-or-flight response reared its ugly head, turned off her reasoning and logic, and told her, ¡®You know what would be a great idea? If you challenged the moss bear and made weird claw motions with your tiny, helpless human hands.¡± Which is exactly what she did. Evie lunged forward, raising her arms high over her head, and she screamed. It wasn¡¯t a totally ridiculous idea, in theory. That was what you were supposed to do when you saw a black bear, after all ¨C scream and shout and make yourself look too big to be easy prey. And this place kind of looked like Maine, and Maine had black bears. Never mind that this bear was green, and bigger than any black bear she¡¯d ever seen. Never mind that if you scream at a different type of bear, like a grizzly bear or a polar bear, you just¡­well, you make it angry, and long story short, you die. Next to her, Nan froze for a second at Evie¡¯s actions, her brows lifted in surprise. But one second later, Nan brought her hands up and pushed them forward, and an honest-to-God wall of golden light formed between them and the bear. Holy. Fucking. Shit. The bear ran headfirst into the wall of light, and promptly ricocheted backwards as if it hit a wall of concrete. The light wall held, with Nan¡¯s hands flexed and tense in front of her. The bear shook its head and roared again. Evie took a deep breath and screamed back at it, waving her arms like a mad woman. The bear dodged to the left, but Nan¡¯s wall of light moved to stay between them and the bear. It rammed itself against the wall again. Evie looked around the forest floor. Perhaps there was a stick, or a branch, or a sword hidden in the brush. A dagger. A gun. Not that she knew how to use a gun. Okay, a dagger. ¡°Evie!¡± Nan shouted. ¡°Stay behind me.¡± Oh. Right. She didn¡¯t have a dagger, and even if she had one, she had no idea how to use it. She was completely helpless and one shirt away from naked. Evie moved closer to Nan and the light wall, watching the bear. It wasn¡¯t particularly intelligent, ramming itself into the wall of light over and over again. Every few second, Nan shouted for Marrel, and Evie screamed at the bear. Occasionally, the bear moved to go around the wall, but Nan just moved the wall with focused attention. ¡°How long will that hold,¡± Evie asked in a low voice. Nan laughed in a sort of exasperated, astonished huff. ¡°Long enough, I hope.¡± Just seconds later, Nan looked up and turned to the path, a small smile growing on her face. ¡°Just in time.¡± Evie didn¡¯t hear anything, but looked to the path. A blurred figure rounded the bend in the woods and charged forward. Evie yelped and jumped back, stepping onto a branch. Something stabbed through her bare feet and she screamed, falling to the ground. ¡°No!¡± Nan shouted, turning around. The moss bear saw the opening and started to charge towards Evie¡¯s prone figure on the ground. In that one second when Nan¡¯s attention was turned, the moss bear leaped into the air. It was massive, the size of a car, and it was headed straight towards Evie. Oh god, she thought. Oh god. Evie curled into a ball, hands going around her head as she turned her face towards the ground. This is it. Just before the bear landed on top of Evie, which absolutely would have crushed her body to a pile of goo, something rammed straight into the bear¡¯s side in mid-air. The bear was forced sideways and tumbled onto the ground. Evie peaked through her fingers to see Marrel standing above her, facing the bear. He yelled and charged the bear again. He lowered his shoulder and rammed into the beast¡¯s side. It fell back again, roaring in pain. It swiped at Marrel¡¯s legs and made contact with his shins, scoring long gashes into his legs through his pants. He ignored his leg and ran forward again, even as blood started spurting from his shin. ¡°Oh god,¡± Evie breathed, watching the scene. Nan had stepped in front of Evie once more with her light shield and was also watching the scene, though she seemed more relaxed now, even as her husband fought a giant bear monster single-handedly. Marrel rammed into the bear over and over again, and honestly, it was pretty gruesome. It wasn¡¯t a quick fight. It was more like Marrel slowly, violently overcame the bear¡¯s natural defenses, causing small wounds each time. It looked exhausting to Evie, but besides some heavy breathing, Marrel didn¡¯t seem to tire fighting against a fully grown bear. Evie stood up and grimaced at the wound in her foot, but limped over to Nan, where they both watched Marrel take down the moss bear. The bear was swaying now, unsteady on its feet. Finally, with a fearsome shout, Marrel charged into the beast one last time. It collapsed on the ground. Marrel grimaced but stepped forward and stomped on the bear¡¯s head. After a few violent stomps, it was finished.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Ding! Your group has killed [Moss Bear, lvl 22]. You have been awarded exp. Error: No class chosen. Unable to award exp. Exp will be recorded once a class has been assigned.
Ding! You have met the prerequisite for the [Fighter] class. Would you like to accept the [Fighter] class? [Y/N]
Evie read the words with dawning horror. She stared at the dead creature on the forest floor. ¡°Oh, hell no,¡± she thought hard.
[Fighter] class rejected.
It was¡­.Evie shook her head. It was like a video game interface. But that would be impossible. Right? Surely, there was no way¡­ But then Nan twisted the ring on her finger and the wall of light disappeared, and Evie paused. Whether it was science or magic, Nan¡¯s ring was something she¡¯d never seen before ¨C something she knew was impossible in her world. But it was here, right in front of her. This was a whole new world. And apparently, it thought she could be a fighter. So perhaps it wasn¡¯t a particularly sensible world. Or perhaps whatever had installed this strange interface in her brain had a sense of humor. Her list of questions grew. Nan rushed to Marrel, who was kneeling over the fallen moss bear. She knelt down beside her husband, who turned his head into her shoulder. Evie watched as Nan patted his back and smoothed his hair back from his face. After a moment, she whispered in his ear and moved him to sit down on the ground. She bent down to roll up his pant leg, clucking over the gushing wounds. Nan moved her hands slowly over the gashes in his legs, and Evie sucked in a breath to see a faint glowing light around Nan¡¯s hands. Marrel¡¯s injuries closed, the skin knitting itself back together. Nan sighed and pulled Marrel into a soft kiss. After a moment, Nan stood and walked back towards Evie. Marrel ran his fingers through his hair, which had long since escaped its leather tie. He knelt beside to the bear once more and placed his hand on the creature¡¯s forehead. ¡°Sit down, sweetheart,¡± Nan commanded with a weary voice. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at your foot.¡± Evie obeyed and watched as the woman applied that same glowing light to her injured foot. ¡°Oh, this was deeper than I thought,¡± Nan mumbled. ¡°Hold on.¡± Evie shouted at an unexpected sharp pain. Nan made soothing noises even as the pain intensified. Something moved through Evie¡¯s foot. She yelped as a small piece of wood popped out of the open cut on her food. Nan nodded. ¡°That¡¯s it, I think.¡± She looked up at Evie with a sympathetic expression. ¡°I know it¡¯s not pleasant. But we had to get it out before the wound could become infected. Now, let¡¯s clean this up, hmm?¡± Once more, the light glowed from Nan¡¯s hands as she hovered over Evie¡¯s foot. Evie watched with wide eyes as the blood stopped flowing and the wound closed to reveal new, pink skin. Nan nodded to herself. ¡°There we are. All fixed up.¡± Marrel approached them. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Evie nodded and stood, testing her foot. ¡°I think so.¡± Nan sighed. ¡°Well, we definitely have to go to town now.¡± Marrel held out his hand and helped his wife to her feet. ¡°Come on.¡± Together, the three of them left the body of the bear on the forest floor. Nan took Evie¡¯s arm and linked it through her elbow once more. She shook her head. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t have happened. The moss bears¡­they¡¯re pretty peaceful creatures. They only become aggressive if something destroys their home. And they normally confine themselves to the west coast of the island. For one to be this close to Brinestone, something must have chased it out of its habitat,¡± Nan explained. She looked worried. ¡°We¡¯ll have to check in with Salt Harbor and make sure everyone¡¯s okay.¡± Marrel nodded, head hung low. ¡°We¡¯ll go straight to the guard. They¡¯ll send a team.¡± Nan opened her mouth, hesitated, and turned to Evie. ¡°Sweetheart, if you see a moss bear again, I would suggest not doing¡­whatever it was that you were doing.¡± Evie flushed. ¡°I promise,¡± she answered. Marrel frowned. ¡°What did she do?¡± Nan laughed and patted his arm. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later, dear.¡± She smiled at Evie. ¡°Like I said, they¡¯re mostly peaceful, but if they¡¯re raging, you won¡¯t get it to back down. The best thing you can do is¡­well¡­it depends on your skills.¡± Evie frowned. ¡°Skills?¡± Nan nodded. ¡°In your class,¡± she explained, as if that made any more sense. Evie just stared at her blankly. Marrel frowned and looked to Nan, who shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s get you to the infirmary, and we¡¯ll talk more.¡± They rounded the bend, and the woods tapered off to reveal a packed gravel road and a cart set to the side. Evie stopped short at the view. It was incredible. They were on a high cliffside road, revealing a gorgeous landscape of steep, rocky cliffs and blue waves crashing against the rocks. Islands speckled the horizon. Down below, Evie could see that the road wove through the landscape towards a small outcrop of buildings in the distance, next to the coast. To the east, a rocky island rose from the sea with two peaks, like a crescent moon growing straight out of the water. Nan sighed, seemingly oblivious to the gorgeous view in front of her. ¡°Where¡¯s Cheddar?¡± Marrel shrugged. ¡°It would have taken too long to put on his harness.¡± His wife shook her head. ¡°Alright, have it your way.¡± She stepped onto the cart settled herself on the box seat in front, waving at Evie to join her. Evie clumsily hopped into the cart, pulling down Marrel¡¯s sweater around her thighs. Marrel stepped in front of the cart, lifting the two shafts in front as if it was nothing. ¡°Actually,¡± Nan said. ¡°Let¡¯s go home first. We¡¯ll saddle Cheddar and get Evie some clothes.¡± Marrel shrugged and turned the cart, pulling it down the road. Evie sat up straight, watching the world around her with wide eyes. With a start, she realized she was smiling. It was a brave new world. Chapter 4: Brinestone Bay By the time they arrived at the town of Brinestone, Evie was wearing considerably more clothes. She sat with Nan in the back of the cart, much more comfortable in loose trousers and a dark blue fisherman¡¯s sweater. As an added bonus, she even had a bra. Sort of. It was more of a cropped corset that tightened with flat ribbon laces, but it looked a lot like a sports bra from the front. Either way, the girls were sorted. The shoe situation was still a bit awkward; Nan¡¯s feet were freakishly small and Marrel¡¯s shoes were like clown shoes on Evie. So she settled for thick woolen socks and some spare leather tied to the bottom of her feet like a janky duct tape sandal. Marrel drove the cart up front, steering a creature Evie had never seen before. Its name was Cheddar, and according to [Identify], it was a [Giant Mouse-Deer, lvl 32]. Honestly, it was really fucking cute, with large black eyes and stripes of white fur down its chest. It kind of resembled a regular deer, but with a thick, rounded body and stick-thin legs. It was adorable. And apparently, it¡¯s favorite food was cheese. Hence, ¡°Cheddar.¡± She wanted to squeeze it. The town of Brinestone sat on a peninsula on the east coast of Bar Island. It¡¯s one side facing the rest of the island was blocked off by a giant stone wall that stretched at least twenty feet high ¨C far higher than Evie would expect to see in a small town. Marrel called to a guard manning the gate, who smiled and waved them through. On the inside of the gate, the town stretched out before them on a gentle slope down to the sea. Single and double-story buildings with slightly medieval architectures were spaced out on roads built for carts and caravans. People strolled alongside carts, chatting and waving to each other. Everyone looked human, though some did boast strange hair colors in hues of blue and green. Several folks called out to Nan and Marrel, and glanced at Evie curiously. Marrel parked the cart at a stable. Evie hopped off the side and watched as Marrel tossed a silver coin to a teenage girl, who nodded it and wrote something down in a log. She asked, ¡°Till the end of the day?¡± Marrel nodded and began to unharness Cheddar. Evie watched the giant mouse-deer. It was just so¡­cute. Its eyes took up half its face, for Christ¡¯s sake. Nan smiled at Evie and held out a cube of hard cheese. ¡°You can feed it to him, if you like.¡± Evie snatched that cube so fucking fast. ¡°Yes, please!¡± She walked to Cheddar¡¯s front. He pointed his nose towards Evie and began to sniff expectantly. ¡°Just hold your hand flat,¡± advised Marrel. ¡°Regrowing a finger is right painful.¡± Evie paused, hand stretched half way between her and Cheddar. ¡°Oh, relax,¡± Nan chided. ¡°It was one time. He¡¯s not a baby anymore. He knows better. But, yes,¡± she told Evie. ¡°Keep your hand flat.¡± She guided Evie¡¯s hand to right in front of the giant mouse-deer. Cheddar delicately sniffed at her hand before opening its mouth. Its tongue snaked out and grabbed the cheese, almost like an elephant, and pulled it back into its mouth. It chewed and made a couple of high-pitched squeaking noises. Evie melted. After a moment, Cheddar pushed its head back towards her hand, and stared up at her with giant black eyes, pleading. Pleading for more cheese. She would have paid a lot of money to feed Cheddar another treat just then. Marrel lifted the harness from Cheddar and ran his hands along the creature¡¯s back to smooth out its soft brown fur. With a forlorn sigh, Cheddar looked one more time at Evie¡¯s hand, then let the teenager lead it into a stall. Nan clapped a hand on Evie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I know. He¡¯s sneaky, that one. Next thing you know you¡¯ll find yourself sneaking out into the barn in the middle of the night with a whole wheel of cheese. I¡¯m pretty sure he''s using an actual charm skill for it. Best not make extended eye contact, just in case.¡± Without pausing, she turned Evie around and pushed her towards the road. What did she mean, ¡®an actual charm skill¡¯? Marrel jogged up to join them. ¡°I¡¯m going to head over to the guard barracks and report the moss bear to the captain. I¡¯ll meet you at the infirmary?¡± He bent down to kiss Nan¡¯s cheek. ¡°Or the pub next door,¡± She replied. Evie and Nan made their way down to a building on one of the side streets off the main avenue. It was a well-kept building, with large glass windows and flower boxes on either side of the door. Evie was startled to see scrolling writing painted across the door that¡­well¡­it wasn¡¯t English. But she knew that it spelled out ¡°Infirmary¡±.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Interesting. One more question for her list. As they walked through the building, Nan called out, ¡°Dacre! Are you here?¡± She bustled them through a door behind the front counter, revealing a large room full of plain white cots and privacy curtains. Towards the end of the room, a short figure was recording something in a notebook next to shelves of boxes and tools. ¡°Dacre,¡± Nan called out again. ¡°Have you gone deaf yet?¡± ¡°Hush, Nan,¡± the person called back in a hoarse, gravelly voice. ¡°I almost never have time to inventory, and I need to put in an order for the mainland tonight.¡± Nan huffed. ¡°Liza goes to the mainland every single day. You can give her your order tomorrow.¡± ¡°But Cedric only goes to the capital once a month, and they have the best prices on bandages and healing potions,¡± lectured the figure. ¡°And I have a fiduciary responsibility not to misuse town funds!¡± ¡°Dacre,¡± Nan huffed. ¡°I do actually need you for something.¡± ¡°What?!¡± From the corner of the shelves, a rather short, rather old man emerged, wearing massive thick glasses and a long black jacket. His white hair was patchy, though his beard went well past his collar bone. He saw Evie and stopped. ¡°Oh,¡± he said. ¡°Hello.¡± He started to pick his ear, paused, and rubbed his finger on his jacket. ¡°How can I help?¡± Nan directed Evie to one of the cots. ¡°Sweetheart, why don¡¯t you sit down for a moment. I¡¯ll just chat with Dacre for a moment and let him know about our day.¡± Evie nodded while Nan pulled Dacre into one of the back rooms. She could almost hear their conversation. Every once in a while, she could hear Dacre let out a ¡°What do you mean?¡± or a ¡°Surely not¡± or a ¡°Did you say a moss bear?¡± After a few minutes, Dacre and Nan returned to Evie. ¡°Ahem, apologies for earlier,¡± Dacre began. ¡°Dacre of West Kambia, at your service. I am one of the healers here at Brinestone.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let him fool you,¡± Nan faux-whispered. ¡°He¡¯s the the best healer on the island.¡± ¡°ANYWAY,¡± coughed Dacre. ¡°Nan tells me you¡¯ve had something of a confusing day. Nan is a wonderful healer, of course, and I would trust her opinion on any case. She has asked me to take a look, because I have some more experience with intangible injuries ¨C those to the mind and the soul. Would it be alright if I examine you? I promise, it won¡¯t hurt.¡± Evie hesitated. ¡°Will you be able to read my thoughts, or see my memories or something?¡± Dacre shook his head. ¡°An important question to ask, but no. I¡¯m no Mind Mage. Just an old man with a few extra tricks up my sleeve.¡± Evie hesitated. What if he could see into her mind, and see random snapshot memories of cars? Of guns? Of her vibrator? But on the other hand, she couldn¡¯t exactly say, no, I¡¯m fine, nothing¡¯s wrong with me, I¡¯m an interdimensional space traveler with no idea what¡¯s going on. ¡°Sure,¡± she decided. ¡°Go for it.¡± Dacre nodded and stepped closer. Though she was sitting, they were the same height. He must have been well under five feet tall. Dacre placed his hands on either side of her forehead. In her peripheral vision, Evie could see his hands begin to glow. It felt¡­strange. Warm. A little like one of those head scratchers that tickled like crazy. She fought the urge to giggle and shimmy away. ¡°Hmm. No lingering curses so far as I can tell. No soul damage, either. Her mind feels fine,¡± Dacre murmured. ¡°Except¡­you¡¯ve spent an exceptional amount of time in a state of stress. I can feel it. Your humors are out of balance. So much anxiety and worry. It¡¯s changed the essence of your brain. Even now, at rest, your mind is operating as if danger is right around the corner.¡± Evie felt his words like a visceral thing. Damn, she thought. That hit a bit too close to home. He hummed and moved one hand to her forehead. ¡°Different parts of the brain work during moments of extreme stress,¡± he told her. ¡°It¡¯s led to some asymmetry. If you stay in this state for too long, without a healer who knows what to look for, it could lead to heart problems, wisdom reduction, insomnia, melancholy, even infertility.¡± Nan patted Evie¡¯s back as Dacre continued his work. ¡°And you say you have no idea where you are, or how you got here?¡± Evie nodded. It was true enough. He hummed again. ¡°No signs of damage to the hippocampus, or the temporal lobe. I would say it was an extreme stress response, if not for your status.¡± Evie frowned. ¡°My status?¡± Dacre nodded. ¡°Have you checked it lately?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what you mean,¡± she replied. Dacre stopped and stepped back. ¡°Your status. Your class. Your System screen.¡± Evie looked from Nan to Dacre and shook her head. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± The two healers looked at each other for a long moment. ¡°Well,¡± Dacre slowly ventured. ¡°Let¡¯s try something. Evie, I want you to close your eyes, and think of your full given name. Say it in your mind.¡± Evie frowned, but closed her eyes. If she didn¡¯t know better, she would say it sounded like a prank. But she was also in a world of moss bears and giant mouse-deer. So, she thought of her name, and it appeared.
Evelyn Becker, Level 1 Race: Human Class: N/A
Health: 15/15 Stamina: 7/15 Mana: 0
Strength: 2 Dexterity: 3 Intelligence: 5
Endurance: 2 Vitality: 3 Wisdom: 2
Unassigned Stat Points: 0 Class Skills: N/A General Skills: [Identify, Level 1]
She felt her jaw drop. ¡°Holy shit.¡± Chapter 5: Welcome to the System Now, as much as some folks may argue otherwise, Evie wasn¡¯t a complete idiot. She¡¯d known something strange was going on when she saw floating letters in her vision and started getting notifications like her phone was implanted in her brain. She just hadn¡¯t been sure if it was real, or some crazy brain tumor. But now she had confirmation. She had proof that it wasn¡¯t just in her head. It all started to come together. The fact that the moss bear had been level 22. The idea that she could ¡°learn¡± the skill [Identify]. The option to take on a [Fighter] class. Her own transfer to this world in the first place. And now, her status screen. Which, if she was being honest, seemed kind of rough. Just two strength? Two wisdom? Even the weakest characters in Baldur¡¯s Gate 3 started out with a minimum of eight in every attribute. ¡°This¡­this is bad, right?¡± She looked to Dacre and Nan. ¡°That I only have two strength?¡± Nan snorted, then quickly tried to cover it up. ¡°Two strength? Ahem. Two strength. That¡¯s¡­yes. That¡¯s a bit below average.¡± Dacre started writing on his notebook and said, ¡°Yes. Below average for a ten-year-old.¡± Evie¡¯s jaw dropped. Nan coughed and cleared her throat. ¡°Do you remember previous your class or levels? When I [identify] you, you appear as level one, without a class.¡± ¡°No,¡± Evie shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever had one. Or, at least, I don¡¯t remember having one.¡± ¡°Stranger and stranger,¡± murmured Dacre. ¡°And you don¡¯t remember any details of this world, or the System?¡± ¡°No,¡± Evie responded again. Dacre sighed. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never seen anything like it before. I don¡¯t even know where I would begin to try to reverse whatever caused your current state. But then again, I don¡¯t want to subject you to months of testing and study.¡± He met her eyes. ¡°So the question is, what do you want to do?¡± ¡°Can I think about it?¡± The healer nodded. ¡°Absolutely. Now, if I may, I would like to request that you stay in the infirmary tonight, just to make sure there are no adverse effects of whatever transpired. Is that alright with you?¡± ¡°That sounds fine,¡± Evie replied. ¡°Good, good,¡± Dacre nodded. ¡°We don¡¯t have any other patients tonight, so you have the place to yourself. And I sleep in the flat above the infirmary so if you need anything, I¡¯ll be close by. We can check in tomorrow morning and see where you want to go from there.¡± ¡°And in the meantime,¡± Nan cut in. She smiled down at Evie. ¡°How do you feel about a drink?¡± The pub next to the stables was clearly popular. Evie sat in the back of the room with Nan and Marrel maneuvered through tables full of laughing and shouting patrons. It was a big room, with stairs on either side of the bar that led up to more tables overlooking the rest of the room. Lanterns filled the pub with warm, low lights. The bar itself looked to be built around an old ship¡¯s mast, and it looked as though you could even reach the mast¡¯s crow¡¯s nest by jumping from the second-floor balcony. Currently, it was occupied by a young woman flirting with the bartender below. Evie watched as Marrel greeted the bartender with a firm handshake and pointed to the woman above. The other man shrugged with a sly grin, and filled three mugs for their table. The ale sloshed over the sides a bit as Marrel wove his way back across the room. Nan sat in front of Evie, so she was somewhat shielded from the broader crowd. But even so, she could feel the curious looks of the other patrons. A few even stopped and stared. She slid down lower in her seat. Marrel set the mugs on the table and sat between her and the room, giving her another layer of privacy. ¡°Don¡¯t mind them,¡± he grumbled. He slid the mug over to her and took a deep drink from his own. Nan hummed appreciatively at her own drink. ¡°Is this batch Callan¡¯s brew?¡± Marrel nodded.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Eamon, but I think young Cal¡¯s a better brewer than his old man,¡± Nan said. She turned to Evie. ¡°Don¡¯t mind the crowd. They¡¯re probably just curious about your status.¡± ¡°My status?¡± Evie replied. She sniffed at the ale and took a small sip, then widened her eyes. ¡°This is delicious!¡± It reminded her of a Trappist beer ¨C smooth and easy to drink, but strong. Marrel¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Are we allowed to ask about her status now?¡± He leaned forward. ¡°I bet it was a curse. Was it a curse?¡± Evie shrugged. ¡°Not sure. Sorry.¡± She actually felt a little bad when his shoulders dropped. ¡°Actually, can I see your status?¡± Marrel acted as if she¡¯d just asked the word for that great big ball of light in the sky. Nan just smiled and patted his arm. ¡°It''s easy once you get the hang of it. You just¡­want to do it. Look at me, and try to think about who I am.¡± She felt a bit awkward, scrunching up her face, but felt herself break out into a grin when Nan¡¯s status popped up. [Healer, lvl 51] Evie turned to Marrel. [Farmer, lvl 44] "It works!¡± She crowed. ¡°Ha, this is so exciting!¡± She started looking around the room and using [Identify] on everyone. [Guard, lvl 14] [Fisherman, lvl 38] [Brewer, lvl 27] [Salt Miner, lvl 62] [Seamstress, lvl 8] [Stonemason, lvl 46] [Enchanter, lvl 53]
Ding! [Identify] has reached level 2. You can now [Identify] objects.
She looked down at her mug. [Common Mug] ¡°I leveled up [Identify]!¡± She laughed and looked around the room. Nan and Marrel looked at each other. ¡°That¡¯s¡­great, sweetheart,¡± Nan said. Marrel snorted. Evie flushed. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°No, no!¡± Nan waved her hand. It¡¯s just¡­a conversation you normally have with children.¡± Evie covered her face with her hands, letting out a muffled ¡°Wow.¡± She took a deep breath, running her hand over her face. ¡°Okay, so I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s weird that I don¡¯t have a class.¡± She looked at Nan. ¡°Explain it to me like I¡¯m a child.¡± Nan thought about it for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Okay. So, a child grows up without a class, but can start to choose one when they¡¯re 12 or 13 years old, based on their interests, activities, and qualifications for a task. When you¡¯re that young, most of the classes will be an apprenticeship or training class. So a 12-year-old who wants to be a soldier may choose the [Cadet] class. Then, once they reach relative maturity, around 17 or 18, they could evolve to the full [Soldier] or [Guard] class.¡± Evie nodded along. ¡°The System offered me the [Fighter] class.¡± Marrel choked on his ale. ¡°Did you take it?¡± Evie frowned. ¡°No way.¡± Marrel nodded. ¡°Good. That¡¯s good.¡± He grimaced. ¡°Nan told me about the bear screaming.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Evie nodded and took a large gulp of ale. ¡°So. How would I pick a class that I actually want?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Marrel replied. ¡°Most children visit the different classes in town to see if they like any of the roles. The island schools that keep a running list of classes we don¡¯t have represented on Bar Island, if anyone still doesn¡¯t find a good fit. Until the child is ready to choose a class, they''ll participate in those activities as best they can. Spend time people who do have their class, until they reach whatever the prerequisites are for a trainee class. Some children, depending on the class, may not be able to get their class until 16 or 17, if they''re not sure what they want.¡± ¡°What if a kid chooses a class and later regrets it?¡± Marrel grinned. ¡°You¡¯re looking at him. I used to be a [Courier] in the capital, Forlas.¡± He shook his head ¡°After a couple of years, I realized that just the work didn¡¯t make me happy anymore. Most of the temples have a way to switch classes, but it isn¡¯t a good option for most folks. You lose all of your levels. You basically start from scratch. Thankfully, the temple where I switched my classes had an enchanted item that allowed me to transfer my [Sprint] skill from a class skill to a general skill, but that¡¯s all I kept from that old life. I moved here, stayed with Nan¡¯s father. Then I met Nan, swept her off her feet, and became a [Farmer] to help run the family business.¡± Nan snorted. ¡°¡®Swept me off my feet¡¯ my ass. You bowled me over sprinting across the fields and gave me a concussion.¡± ¡°And we lived happily ever after,¡± he replied solemnly. Nan laughed and rolled her eyes. Evie thought of something he said. ¡°Can you explain skills?¡± Marrel shrugged. ¡°Skills are like¡­¡± He looked at his wife. ¡°Actually, how would you explain skills? They¡¯re just¡­skills.¡± Nan scratched her head. ¡°Well, when you try something, you might get a skill for it. A skill can act like an amplifier. As you do that action more, and depending on how you do it, you make level up the skill and get some new abilities." ¡°Yes!¡± Marrel beamed. ¡°Okay, so when I started as a courier, I ran without any skills. I just ran. But as I leveled up, I gained the [Sprint] skill. And as I leveled up [Sprint], I could run faster for longer. Beyond what I could have done with just hard work. I could run for miles and miles at top speed.¡± Nan nodded and added, ¡°Different skills give different amplifiers. An enchanter might get a skill that makes her work faster, or her enchantments more durable. A fighter may gain a skill that lets him punch through stone or gives him a boost of speed or power if he loses more than half of his health.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Evie thought about it. ¡°Do you have any cool skills?¡± Nan hesitated. ¡°Sweetheart, that¡¯s considered a pretty personal question. Most folk like to keep their skills close to the vest, unless they¡¯re in a tight spot or it¡¯s part of their job. Some folks will offer, and I don¡¯t mind sharing, but keep in mind that some may find it rude.¡± Evie groaned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I feel like I¡¯m doing everything wrong.¡± Nan patted her arm. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day. Have another drink. It¡¯ll help.¡± Chapter 6: Mystery Meat ¡°Rise and shine!¡± Dacre¡¯s voice cheerfully boomed through the infirmary. Evie grumbled and pulled the pillow over her ears. Her head was pounding. She heard footsteps approach her end cot in the back corner of the room. Dacre¡¯s voice was annoyingly chipper. ¡°How are we feeling? Has our brain melted from curse magic?¡± ¡°Five more minutes,¡± she hissed out, turning towards the wall. ¡°Ah. Just hungover. Well, you sleep as long as you want, and when you want me to fix that right up for you, come and find me. I¡¯ll be in the front.¡± Evie bolted upright, then swayed as her blood pressure dropped. ¡°You can fix hangovers?¡± Dacre turned over his shoulder, as if the bastard was surprised to see her. ¡°Ah! So you are awake. I had no idea.¡± He sidled over to her and placed a finger at her temple. A halo of light appeared in her periphery and her throbbing headache dissipated in seconds. She felt her entire body relax. ¡°That¡¯s good shit,¡± she sighed. ¡°Quite,¡± Dacre agreed. He grabbed a small pouch from the back shelves and tossed it to her. ¡°Some necessities for you. A toothbrush, flossing string¡­¡± He looked her over. ¡°A hairbrush.¡± Evie gaped at the old man. He had seemed so nice at first. ¡°You¡¯re a cruel little man,¡± she mumbled as she walked over to the vanity and sink in the corner. ¡°I¡¯m a dwarf. Not a man,¡± he called over his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t insult me. We¡¯re far superior creatures.¡± Evie stopped short and turned back to look at his retreating figure. ¡°Huh. Not a man. A dwarf. Obviously.¡± She turned back to the mirror and sighed. He was right. Her hair was a mess. Traveling to a new universe would do that to a girl. ¡°We¡¯re far superior creatures,¡± she mimicked under her breath. She splashed water on her face and pulled her hair back into a French braid, security it with a leather strap in the kit, then pulled back a bit and smiled at her reflection. Gone were the uncomfortable work heels, the makeup, the fancy office clothes. Her skin was bare, hair tangled. She was wearing someone else¡¯s clothes, and makeshift Birkenstocks on her feet. She was homeless, without any money or bankable skills to her name. And she felt great. She felt excited to see what today would bring. She felt¡­happy. At the front of the infirmary, Dacre was writing in his log. A wax paper bundle sat next to him on the counter, along with two steaming cups of something that smelled amazing. ¡°Here you go,¡± Dacre pushed one of the mugs over. ¡°It¡¯s just plain vigortea. I have some sugar if you need it.¡± Evie brought the cup to her face and breathed deep. It was complex, full of warm spices that reminded her of chai. She sighed on the first sip. It was slightly bitter, but full-bodied and flavorful. ¡°It¡¯s perfect. Thank you.¡± Dacre pushed the bag over. ¡°This is for you, too.¡± Curious, Evie unwrapped the wax paper and felt herself grin. It was a pastry. The dwarf brought her breakfast. ¡°Thank you, again,¡± she said. He hummed in acknowledgement. It appeared to be some sort of puff pastry biscuit, with slight layer separation on the sides. The puff biscuit was dusted in some sort of sugar, with a slight indent in the middle holding a dollop of bright purple jam. She¡¯d never seen anything like it. She took a bite. ¡°Holy shit this is delicious,¡± she moaned around a mouthful of pastry. It was sweet, but not too sweet, and the biscuit layers melted in her mouth. The purple jam was subtle, almost like gooseberry, but it had a spicey, gingery bite to it. Dacre snorted. Evie polished off the pastry in seconds. With the vigortea, it was the perfect breakfast combination. ¡°That was amazing,¡± she sighed. ¡°I really appreciate it.¡± The dwarf nodded. ¡°I¡¯m glad. So,¡± he paused, looking over his ledger. ¡°I have a few standing appointments today. I¡¯ll be tied up for the next few hours. This begs the question: what would you like to do today?¡± Evie paused. Oh. It hit her then. This man was basically a stranger. She couldn¡¯t just follow along on his coattails, waiting for instructions. Yesterday, she¡¯d followed Nan and Marrel along like sheep. But she wasn¡¯t a sheep. She was a grown woman, and she had to start making some big choices. What did she want to do? ¡°Well,¡± she started. ¡°I¡¯d like to explore the town. And I¡¯d like to find Nan and Marrel to thank them for yesterday.¡± Dacre waved his hand. ¡°Well, that¡¯ll be easy enough, Nan is working at the guard¡¯s training yard this afternoon. If you¡¯re exploring around town, you¡¯ll find the yard near the town gate.¡± He pulled a worn backpack from a shelf under the counter. ¡°This is for you. There are a few silver pieces in there for anything you need to purchase.¡± Evie felt her heart melt a bit for the grumpy healer. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± he replied. ¡°That¡¯s from my wife. Thought you might need some help getting on your feet.¡± He paused. ¡°She¡¯s also the one who bought you breakfast.¡± Ah. That made more sense. ¡°Well, please thank her for me.¡± Dacre shrugged. ¡°Thank her yourself. She¡¯ll be by later today. Asked about meeting you.¡± ¡°Oh. Okay. Sure! I¡¯ll stop by after I catch up with Nan.¡± He grunted and returned to his logbook. She took that as a yes. The sun still seemed low on the horizon when she stepped out for the day, casting the town in a soft golden haze. That close to sunrise, she would have expected little activity on the streets, but the town was bustling. She walked onto the main road and nearly got bowled over by a teen boy running past. Evie [identified] him. [Messenger, lvl 9] She laughed to herself. She wasn¡¯t getting tired of that trick any time soon. Speaking of which, she quickly brought up her own status screen.
Evelyn Becker, Level 1 Race: Human Class: N/A
Health: 15/15 Stamina: 15/15 Mana: 0
Strength: 2 Dexterity: 3 Intelligence: 5
Endurance: 2 Vitality: 3 Wisdom: 2
Unassigned Stat Points: 0 Class Skills: N/A General Skills: [Identify, Level 2]
All in all¡­it was anticlimactic. Something she could fix later, perhaps. With a sigh, she closed her status screen and turned towards the waterfront. The main street led her downhill towards the harbor, past a smithy, carpenter¡¯s shop, stonemason, and weaver¡¯s studio. The street fanned out at the docks with more shops running parallel to the water, including a boatwright and shipping depot. Men and women of all ages were at the harbor, working to unload the morning¡¯s catch, cleaning and repairing the ships, and just going about their days. Many of them, Evie noticed, had hair in hues of muted blues and greens. Another question to add to her list. Evie walked along the harbor, breathing in the salt air. At the corner of the harbor, she noticed one building that was busier than all the rest. A line of customers formed out the door and around the building. She approached, her face breaking into a smile as she made out the shop interior. It was a bakery. Most of the customers had on fisherman¡¯s gear, as if they came straight off their ships to stand in line for baked goods. Which Evie completely understood. The sign above the door simply read, The Bakery. Evie peeked through the crowd to get a look at the interior. It was basic to the point of extreme minimalism. There were no decorations, no tables or chairs, no signs of any sort that she could see. At the counter, a teenage boy rushed to fill orders, pulling loaves of bread from the back wall. Under the counter, Evie spied glass trays that were already almost empty, despite the early hour. A few smaller rolls and pastries remained. Someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to see a young woman with blue-gray hair frowning at her. ¡°Hey, the line starts around the corner.¡± She pointed in the direction of the crowd. Evie jumped, flushing. ¡°Right. Sorry about that. Just looking.¡± The girl nodded and watched her, as if making sure that Evie wouldn¡¯t sneak back to cut in the line. As tempted as she was, Evie only had a few silver coins, and no idea how much anything cost. Baked goods would have to wait until she understood the town¡¯s currency and the comparative value of goods and services. But when she did¡­ Oh, she would be back. With a bright grin plastered to her face, Evie meandered back towards the docks, ready to explore the rest of the town. Her morning was productive. She was able to map out most of the main areas of town. Brinestone wasn¡¯t a big city. Just a lively coastal town. But it seemed prosperous. Evie didn¡¯t see anyone begging in the street, and most of the buildings seemed well-kept. There was no trash in the street. One thing Evie was very curious about was the town plumbing. In most ways, this place seemed mostly medieval in character. Yet the infirmary had an indoor toilet and running water. It appeared that strange System sorcery was afoot. Would Evie complain about not having to use a chamber pot? No. Never. It was just another question for her list. One more strange thing, in a world of strange things, was the sun. So far as she could tell, the sun stayed fairly low on the horizon. It created an incredibly long sunrise, giving the world an extended golden hour. Were days longer here? Was she in a region close the north or south pole? How did the weather work? These were more questions that may take her a while to solve. Towards lunch time, Evie noted several vendors set up in a square in what she¡¯d started to think of as ¡®the business district¡¯. She hadn¡¯t spent any money yet, but she wasn¡¯t sure how much food would cost. She meandered back and forth between stalls, looking at the prices marked on the boards. Most dishes were a few coppers, far less than Dacre (or rather, Dacre¡¯s wife) had given her for the day. After three or four trips around the square, she settled on flatbread wrap with some sort of meat and roasted vegetables. She made another mental note: figure out what animals were considered normal for human consumption here. Hopefully, cannibalism was not a cultural norm. The mystery meat was pretty good, though. Evie made her way back up towards the town gate in search of the training yard. She heard it first. The clang of metal, the shouts and yells of encouragement. It was close to a guard tower built into the wall. Evie approached slowly, carefully. Soldiers in metal armor and full helmets nodded as she passed. Some paused, staring, and she knew they were looking at her lack of a class. After a moment, one of the soldiers approached. ¡°Can I help you?¡± She started. It was a soft, feminine voice, like that of a young girl. Not what Evie expected at all. She wondered if the girl was one of those cadets Nan mentioned yesterday. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Nan,¡± she explained. ¡°Oh! Right! She¡¯s here! I could take you, if you like.¡± The figure was more excited now, reminding Evie of some of the interns she saw in the office who were so wide-eyed and eager to enter the real world. Evie smiled. ¡°That would be great, thank you.¡± The soldier led her through the doorway towards an open courtyard. Inside, men and women were engaged in training exercises from weightlifting to sparring. She saw Nan sitting at a table in the corner with a young man, and moved in her direction. As she rounded the table, though, she halted. There was blood. Blood everywhere. The boy sitting with Nan couldn¡¯t have been more than 15. He was crying, sobbing really, and his hand was just¡­gone. Cut off at the wrist. Nan¡¯s left hand was set gently on his arm, while her right¡­held the amputated hand. Bile filled her throat, and her lunch came rushing back. Evie turned, ran to one of the columns in the corner, and vomited. Nan looked up and smiled. ¡°Oh, hello Evie! I¡¯ll be with you in just a few minutes.¡±