“Yes! Yes! I’m alive” he shouted out “Help! I can’t move!”

“Hold on friend, I’ll be right up”

Actions soon followed the unknown man’s word and soon David saw a stoutly built person haul himself over the edge of the rockface.

“Hey friend, you’ll be alright.” Spying the corpse of the Pinwheel Armadillo, he asked “Did that beastie get a scratch on you? They have a fairly powerful paralytic on their claws.”

“Yeah, it scratched me across the back, I thought I was fine because they aren’t that deep.”

“A fair amount of people have made that mistake laddie, often it’s the last mistake they make, you must have killed it quickly after it got you if you are still alive.”

Suddenly a suspiciously potion shaped vial appeared in the persons hand, and he reached out to help David drink it.

“C’mon now, drink up, you’ll be cured in no time.”

The man slowly started pouring a vile tasting liquid down David’s throat and a strange tingling sensation started spreading through his body. As the sensation passed through his body, he regained motor function and managed to sit up.

“Thanks mate, I should probably introduce myself, I’m David. If you don’t mind me asking, where am I?”

“Don’t worry about it, and I’m Rustrur, at your service” replied the man who took a short bow.

“As for where you are, I’ve gotta say, I’m a bit confused how do you not know where you are? Regardless you are in the Aingott Badlands, you are far away from anywhere.”

“Truthfully? I don’t know how I got here, one second I was sitting in my home at my table and then next I was sitting down there.” Pointing in the general direction of his table, chair and patch of bedroom floor

“Hmm, that’s right strange that is, say, do you mind if the wife takes a look, magically speaking of course? Maybe she can tell what happened to you.”

“Of course, any help would be appreciated.” David replied, trying to hide his excitement, he was going to see some actual magic!

“OI, Gladys, get up here would you, have a look-see at the laddie!” Rustrur yelled. “David, if I might be so rude, would you mind if me and my boys took a look at the dead beastie? Those scales could sell quite well in the city.” Quickly cutting in “its your kill of course so we would happily cut you in.”

“Absolutely, I would have no clue how to take it apart, go for it.”

Once again Rustrur yelled down “Tommlein, Thadrum, get your arses up here, we’ve got a Pinwheel to strip!”

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“Thanks for this laddie, we’ll get you sorted out in no time.”

As if on cue Gladys clambered over the edge of the rockface and quickly made her way over to David. She was built the same way as Rustrur, that is, stoutly.

“Move over you great oaf, let me have a look.” She said as she nudged Rustrur out of the way “Go play with the beastie.”

“How are you dearie, ooh you have a lot of residual magic around you, looks like a teleport spell. It’s strange though, I’ve never seen so much magic left over from such a spell.”

“Wait you are doing magic now?” David asked feeling slightly disappointed. “You didn’t say anything or use a wand, nothing.”

“Why would I need any of those for such a simple thing? That stuff is reserved for much more intensive magic than I can do.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that. Where I come from, magic is very rare, you could say that no one has seen true magic in living memory”

“That sounds like a very strange place dearie, anyway, are you feeling up to sitting up? We should probably check on the boys. Its not like we can fit the entire Armadillo in the caravan.” She joked.

Walking over to the corpse of the Pinwheel David was shocked and Gladys just sighed. The two different reactions were due to how quickly the boys had stripped the Armadillo of useful materials and the sheer size of the pile that Rustrur wanted to take with them.

“Old man, you know we can’t fit all this on the caravan, you are going to have to leave some behind.” Gladys grumbled with her hands on her hips.

“Ahh my dear wife, I’ve already got it all planned out, we’ll just drag them behind the caravan, a little bit of dirt won’t hurt them, plus we have that net that no one ever buys.”

“Are you sure the animals can take the weight along with your fat ass, husband mine?”

David looked on surprised at how the old couple were talking to each other, seemingly not getting along at all. Then he looked closer and saw the twinkle in their eyes showing the hidden enjoyment that they both were getting out of it.

“Maybe I’ll run along side the caravan for a bit then wife. I’ve got to keep in shape to keep up with you.” Rustrur responded with a grin.

“Of course, you will dear, the next world will freeze over before you run anywhere. Get a move on, I want to get to the city by nightfall. I don’t fancy another night out here.” Gladys snapped, but underneath it all you could see a faint blush rising in her cheeks.

“As you will it my dear wife.”

“David, would you like to join us? It would take you quite a while on foot to get to the city. We couldn’t in good conscience leave you out here.”

“Yes please, I don’t know how to thank you enough.”

“Ah think nothing of it lad. I would presume that you would help out anyone in your position.”

A short while later the massive pile of Pinwheel Armadillo scales were bundled up in a big net and attached to the back of the caravan. David, curious about what would be pulling the caravan recoiled in horror when he stepped around the front of the mobile home. Two giant amorphous blobs were wrapped around a bar attached to the front of the caravan.

“Don’t worry dearie, they are only slimes. They aren’t dangerous.”

Calming his racing heart David nodded, but even so he stepped quickly away from them.

“Rustrur, could I impose for a minute, when I came here my table and chair came with me, I don’t suppose I could bring them with me? I can dismantle the table to make it easier to store.”

“Hmm, ok laddie I think we can squeeze them in somewhere, can’t let you leave a memory of home here.”

In short order David took apart the table and stored it in the cargo rank on-top of the caravan, he stored the chair the same way just without dismantling it.

“Losuda, put on a pot of tea please dear.” Rustrur called into the caravan. Motioning to David he told him “Please step aboard, my daughter will have a drink for you momentarily.”

Walking up the steps he had to duck his head to enter into the caravan. The caravan as a whole strongly reminded him of the stereotypical gypsy fortune-teller caravan, just a lot bigger.

“You are David I guess?” a young woman asked him as he entered. “Take a seat, the tea will be ready soon.

With a hot cup of tea in hand, and making small talk with Losuda, the undercurrent of anxiety and shock started to fade, this one stab of normalcy making everything easier for him. The rest of the family soon climbed aboard and with a lurch the caravan started moving.

“Sorry if this is a silly question, but doesn’t someone need to be directing the slimes?” David asked hesitantly.

“No, no need, they have the mana signature of the city, they’ll head right there with no fuss.”

“That’s amazing, where I’m from you always have to direct the animals.”

“Talking of that, where do you actually come from David, if you don’t mind telling us.” Asked Gladys.

“Well, I’m just not sure that you will believe me, its difficult to believe. Hell, I barely do and I’m living it.”

Looking around he saw that no one seemed all that bothered about it, so with that said he dived into his explanation.

“I think I am from another world.” He blurted out. “My world only has one sun, and I’ve never heard of the Aingott Badlands, or Pinwheel Armadillos and slimes definitely do not exist. We use horses to pull carriages.” Everything came falling out in a rush. “I have no idea how I got here, Gladys you say it was a teleport spell, but magic doesn’t exist in my world.”

A long moment of silence stretched out to the point of awkwardness and then Rustrur broke it.

“You ain’t a god are you” he asked quietly.

“No of course not, why would you think I am?”

“I thought you might be, because we have had world travellers before, millennia ago. Losuda, I think David needs to hear the story, would you do the honours?”

“Of course father.”