“I’m pretty sure it’s the orcs.” Werner raised an eyebrow at my theory, and Alvar snorted.

“Those orcs’re menaces for sure, but they aren’t capable of expanding the desert this quickly.” The burly man had, to his credit, swiftly discarded most of his prior suspicion regarding me. “Used to be there was a little patch of sand over on the very tip of the island. Now it’s twice the size as it was six months ago. You’d need a mighty powerful mage to pull that off.”

“Or a powerful artifact,” Werner helpfully supplied.

“Exactly! And think about it: if they had a mage strong enough to pull this off, don’t you think that mage would also be strong enough for them to attack Goldport directly? River or no river, a mage that powerful could do some serious damage, but from what I’ve heard the city’s completely untouched.” I found it unnervingly easy to disguise the source of my knowledge, acting as if I had simply heard rumors and gossip. Benefits of having a rank in Bluff, I guess.

“Sure, but…”

“Artifacts are powerful, and anyone can use them if they know how, but they’re usually really specific in what they can do. An artifact that changes the climate and environment of a region isn’t much of a stretch.” Knowing it was true made it even easier to believe.

“I’d be inclined to agree with Colranth, Alvar. He is a mage, after all. He’s bound to know more than us about these matters,” said Werner. He gave off the impression of being relaxed, but his eyes never stopped scanning the forest around us.

“You seem rather fixated upon this topic, my friend. Is it of particular interest to you?” Hugo poked his head out from within the covered wagon that had been left in the forest as they fled from the goblin ambush. Thankfully, one of the two horses had survived, and with the wagon considerably lighter on its return trip than it was when it departed it was able to pull it along, albeit at a slower pace.

I considered Hugo’s question. Huh. I haven’t really thought about that. I wanted to go home, that much was certain. The only problem was that I had no idea how to go about that, and if the orcs’ territory kept expanding unchecked in the south, I might not even survive long enough to learn. I didn’t want to go seeking out any danger, but I had advance knowledge of what was going to happen and how to deal with it, meaning I was probably the best-equipped person to handle the current problem.

“Yeah… yeah, it is. I’d like to do something about it.” Alvar guffawed—he seemed to like laughing at me.

“Bud, you can scare off a few goblins, but orcs aren’t so easy. You’d need more than some dragon scales on your hands to get them running. You’d need a full-grown dragon.”

“Yeah, I know I can’t do it on my own, so I’d like to find people to help me. I know Northwold is a bit out of the way, and maybe there aren’t a bunch of great heroes waiting to go on a quest, but there’ll probably be some strong arms who are willing to do some good. I’ll start with them, and see if I can find more people as I head south.”

My friends and I had solved this problem with only four people, but we were designated heroes. Alvar and Werner didn’t even have proper classes from the game, and the powers they had listed, while useful, were quite sparse compared to a level one character in a class we could have chosen. They were NPCs, designed to be weaker than the heroes—but if NPCs were all I could find, I’d have to make do.

“Well count me out. This goblin attack was already more trouble than I’m willing to deal with. I’ve been doing this work because it’s easy money, but those little green bastards have been getting more and more annoying,” said Alvar. “Constantly sneaking out and raiding our fields, attacking travelers. After this, I think it’s back to smithing full time. More pay isn’t worth getting myself killed.”

That’s… odd. When we had played, people in Northwold had talked about the goblins living in the mountains, but they rarely ever caused trouble. We had even tried going after them, just because it seemed like we might find something in the forest, but Rob had told us we didn’t come across any goblins after days of searching. I couldn’t help but wonder, then, why they were apparently causing so much trouble now.

“Has something happened that might have caused them to get more aggressive?”

Werner replied, “Not that we know of. Most of their attempts are poorly thought out and easily foiled, which is a blessing, but no one’s felt like trying to ask them why they’re trying to kill us. Most folks would rather see a goblin dead than parley with them.”

“Perhaps you can start with that, Colranth! Gathering a band of plucky do-gooders to root out the goblin menace will surely help you make a name for yourself. Such a reputation could only help in your endeavors to gather more powerful allies,” said Hugo.

I nodded. “Are there many people in Northwold who might be willing to help?”

“Not many,” said Alvar. “The bravest thing most folks in Northwold do is take up a bit of guard duty. Not a lot willing to risk their neck on some hare-brained adventure.”

“You seemed pretty set on settling back down, so I guess I can’t count on you to join my crew then, huh?”

“Damn straight. I’d be happy to sell you some of my wares, but I’m not much for making weapons. Could sell you some horseshoes or nails, though.”

Werner laughed. “Don’t sell yourself short, Alvar. These spears have served us well enough. They haven’t broken on us, at least.”

“Yeah, spears are easy. I could probably do axes, too—an axe for fighting can’t be much different than an axe for chopping wood, yeah?”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The two guards continued to banter for a time while my mind wandered. I’d hoped I knew everything about the future because I’d already played through it once before, but either something’s throwing off the plot or the similarities so far have just been coincidental. Either was possible. It’s not like I understood anything about what was going on here; I couldn’t assume anything.

Despite the constant worry that we might run into more goblins, the trip went by rather uneventfully. I surreptitiously checked my magical piece of parchment at one point, revealing that my MP returned, as it had in the game, after a full night’s rest. That meant I would need to ration it carefully throughout a day—unlike more pure mages like the Saint, my MP pool was rather limited.

I did put it to good use a couple more times to frighten off some curious animals or to light our campfires at night, but further life-or-death scenarios were mercifully absent for the rest of the journey. Near the end of the first day, we reached Xaldryn’s Tears, the river that Northwold had been settled on the banks of and which flowed from the mountains to the sea.

Near the end of the second day, as the sun was approaching the western horizon, we saw the telltale glow of lights to the east. I rushed ahead of the group, to the top of the hill we were ascending, to see the loosely clustered buildings of a small town, full of people finishing a day’s work by lantern light in the weakening sun.

Carts pulled by donkeys trundled down wide dirt streets. Some carried bundles of firewood; others crates, their contents unknowable from this distance. Farmers filtered in from the surrounding fields, eager to wrap up their day of work by sharing a drink with friends or a meal with family. It was quiet, but full of life.

Hugo called out from behind me, “Don’t get too far ahead, my good friend! I’ve not paid you yet, so you won’t get far on your own!”

I didn’t answer. It was all just… too much. I had loved hearing Rob describe these places as we played, but seeing it in person was amazing. For a moment, I forgot all about my anxieties and worries for the future and just drank in the atmosphere.

This place is amazing. It was nothing special compared to the other settlements we visited later on, but being here, in the place where it all began, filled me with a sense of nostalgia for a place I was about to visit for the very first time. I blinked back a few tears that sprang to my eyes, vowing to tell Rob all about this if I ever found him again, before remembering something important.

“Oh, right!” I fumbled about in my pockets a bit, taking care not to shred them with my claws, and pulled out my phone. If I wanted to make the battery last I’d need to use it sparingly, but this felt like as good an occasion as any to bust it out. Powering it on, I turned on the camera and began taking pictures of the scene.

“What’s that you’re doing?” Werner asked, the trio finally catching up to me. Oh, shit. Right.

“It’s, uh… A magic item I found a while back. Lets me save an image I point it at. Like this,” I said, showing him how it worked.

“How interesting! Is that all it does?”

“Well, it’s got some other little things it can do, but it’s got a limited power source, so I’ve gotta conserve it,” I said, looking down at the screen. “Hey, do you guys mind if I get a picture of all of us?”

“Not interested,” came Alvar’s immediate response as he eyed my phone warily.

“I’ve no clue what you’re talking about, really, but it sounds like it makes an instant portrait? If so, I would love to!” came Hugo’s almost-as-immediate response.

“Great! Okay, Hugo, come here to the top of the hill and stand behind me here. Werner, if you want to be part of this, stand on my other side.” He complied, and the two of them stared quizzically at the phone as I pointed it towards us. “Smile, everyone!”

Click!

“Wait, it’s done already? My, that’s even faster than I anticipated!” Hugo crowded around my shoulder to get a better look at the screen. “Oh my goodness, it’s amazing! Better than any portrait I’ve ever seen! Is it possible to-”

“Gonna cut you off right there, Hugo. I can’t display these anywhere but on the screen, and there’s no way we can turn this into a business. It’s a good thought, but just not possible.” He looked a bit crestfallen, whether at his idea being unusable or me interrupting him yet again I wasn’t sure.

“Ah, well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Perhaps one day you’ll unlock more of this thing’s powers though. Should you do so, and be able to make a business out of this, I hope you won’t forget your good friend Hugo.”

I laughed. “Yeah, of course.”

* - * - *

We continued walking. What was left of the trip passed quickly in companionable—or surly, in Alvar’s case—silence before we finally reached the town of Northwold properly. Most of the townspeople had made it inside already by the time we got there, but a few older men sitting outside and smoking pipes called out greetings as we passed.

“Glad you didn’t die, Werner!”

“Alvar, the boy managed to avoid burning down the workshop! You should give him a raise!”

“Wait, weren’t there only three of you when you left? You picking up strays, Hugo?”

I stayed quiet, watching my surroundings and waiting to see how Hugo and the others interacted before putting myself in the spotlight. Thankfully they only exchanged greetings, neglecting to mention any of the circumstances surrounding our meeting. Once we reached the center of town, Hugo turned to the three of us.

“It has been an honor and a pleasure to employ you once again, Werner, Alvar. I’ll have your wages sent to your homes tomorrow.” He bowed low and theatrically before turning to me. “You, my friend, have no home here in town, so let me show you to the inn. It’s nothing fancy, I’m afraid. Just a common room where traveling workers sleep, but I’ll see if I can’t get you a spot by the fire.”

“Thank you, Hugo. You’re a lifesaver. Literally,” I said, laughing. “I probably would’ve starved if I hadn’t found you when I did.”

“Nonsense, my friend, I only repaid you for doing the same for us!”

“Alvar, it was nice to meet you-”

“The feeling isn’t mutual,” he said, interrupting me, but I saw him hide a grin as he did so.

“Well, if you decide to change your mind and look for adventure, I’ll gladly take you along, but otherwise I just hope you’ll give me good prices if I ever need some spears or axes,” I said, smiling.

“Yeah, I’ll charge you double.” We both laughed, then Werner spoke.

“It was nice to meet you as well. You made the return trip quite a bit more fun.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got plenty of work to do tomorrow, so I’m going to turn in for the night.”

“Oh, hey, thank you for the fish! Best fish I’ve ever eaten!” He simply waved in response, already walking down the street before he had even finished saying his goodbyes.

With that, all that was left was Hugo and me, standing in the street next to a mostly empty cart and one tired donkey. He clapped his hands together.

“Well, shall we get going? The inn is just down the road here.” I nodded and followed him to the first proper place I would sleep here in this new world: a small, cozy inn called “Home Away From Home.”