From there, the group took a moment to recuperate before beginning to talk. Their outfits were getting some odd stares here and there, but the rule of the street was to walk past anything that wasn’t trying to gut you with a knife. Plus, many had seen odder. At least, that was how it was in the cities on earth and most of the students assumed that was also how it was in this other realm.
“So, it seems like they use coins here. Guess paper cash is worthless.” Teach sighed, it seemed that the already meager amount of cash in his wallet wasn’t going to get very much use.
“And we shouldn’t bet on our coins being worth anything either,” Yolk said. “Seriously though, I am starving. Today’s roots were nicer than usual, but I really could use some actual food.”
“Fufufufu! I think it’s my time to shine, using my ten arcane rings, quality materials of sorcery and my grimoire of dark arts, I shall bless us with food, gold, and other boons from the beyond!”
“Why didn’t you use it earlier?” Carmen was still skeptical, peering deep into Echidna’s words and eyes to gauge if she was pulling something out of her ass.
“It requires us to be in civilization, for that is where the connection is greatest. Now, let us-” She reached into her backpack and gripped nothing. “Hmm? Where are my flasks? Where is my grimoire?” She reached a bit deeper and her gripping became a bit more frantic, until eventually she turned it over to reveal that there was nothing in her backpack except school books and classwork. “Huh?”
“Oh. I think we used a few books as kindling for the fire while you were all out by the river.” Pin spoke up, looking a tad embarrassed. “We were just grabbing things at random.
“Were those spices and herbs yours?” Yolk had that same easy confidence, though it was hard not to hear the audible gulp that came before. “Well, uh, sorry. I used them to spice up today’s roots. Sorry Pepe, not all of us can chow down cardboard every day without end.” Pepe didn’t take any offense, it seemed.
“It tasted good, thanks.” Hailey gave a thumbs up to Echidna.
“I-I-” Echidna let out a long sigh before saying, “I am out of ideas, then.”
“Well, this is a city, right?” Aurum spoke up, looking at the streets and where people went. “These farmers are going somewhere, aren’t they? I’d bet that at least one is heading to a market to sell their stuff. We dunno what’s valued here but, there’s some stuff we can try. Right, Pinny?” She looked to Sue, who rolled his eyes but relented.
“Yes.” He held up his hand, showing his gold watch. “Though I’m hesitant to part with it, I’ve been on the cusp of starvation long enough to care not for its luster.”
“Good idea. How about this, you kids go to the market in order to get us some money and food. While you do that, I’ll try and get some information on where we are and all that stuff. Stick together, no telling what danger’s around.”
“Got it, Teach!” Aurum set off first, dragging Pin with her. The others gave various agreements, all going forward as a group. None of them knew each other particularly well, being somewhat pleasant acquaintances at best, but they felt much safer next to each other than alone. It was the same with Teacher. Sure, he didn’t do anything on Earth to really earn their loyalty, but he was older and they deferred to his experience, especially since his instructions usually made sense.
The thirteen teens walked through the streets of the desert city, their eyes moving from one pedestrian to the next as they saw bizarre sight after bizarre sight.
“Is that a lizard person with their pet velociraptor pulling a cart of grains?” Rosa woke up for a moment, still on Pepe’s back, only to see exactly what she described. “Oh, no, I’m probably dreaming, aren’t I?”
“Nope, you’re wide awake! Do you want me to put you down, Rosa?”
“Huh? Oh, uhhhhh, nah. I’m going to go back to sleep. Thanks, though.” She immediately fell limp once more, earning a resigned sigh from Pepe.
“Hey, guys, look, I got a perfect way to make money, watch this!” Gallows, ignoring the cries of, “Hey!” and “Wait!” and “What are you doing!?” walked forward to a human merchant on a long snake bearing the goods of a caravan, wearing jewelry and fine silk. “Now, my fine sir, may I interest you in a golden opportunity to invest in a fine and upcoming enterprise started by me?”
“Oh my god he’s doing a startup scam.” Aurum realized first what he was doing and facepalmed. “Nope, nope, we’re not doing this.” She walked forward and dragged him back to the group. “Sorry sir, he’s touched in the head.”
“It’s of no trouble.” The merchant took it in good stride, they’d seen weirder.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“While we have you here, may you be interested in this novel timepiece?” Aurum looked behind her, giving Pin an impromptu cue to show off his watch. He relented and walked forward, knowing that they had a golden opportunity, getting the attention of a clearly wealthy potential buyer for their goods. He took it off his wrist and handed it over to her for her to show the merchant. “It has all the power of a sundial with much more convenience!”
“My! This is quite the amazing thing, are you a sorcerer, perhaps?” The merchant marveled at the watch, especially enjoying the gold.
“Nope, this thing is free of magic! That’s right, no need to go to a wizard for repairs or power. You just need to wind it up!” Not mentioning the fact that if it did break, it’d basically be impossible to repair.
“Hmmmm. For strangers walking on feet, you bear a peculiar amount of precious goods. Are those gold rings I see on those fingers?” The merchant pointed towards Echidna. “I’m impressed with the designs.”
“That’s an awfully fine eye for someone so far away.”
“I’m blessed with them. Now, perhaps if you throw in those rings, I will buy both that and this timepiece for thirty fingers of silver!”
“You have a deal!” Aurum knew when to haggle and when to just accept what she was offered. They were in no position to argue, really. She perhaps was also maybe a tad giddy over the prospect of handling real, honest to god silver.
“Wait, wha-!?” Echidna was not amused.
“Here you go.” Pin, with remarkable dexterity, finangled Echidna’s rings from her fingers and handed them over to the merchant.
“Very good. Here you go, the promised thirty fingers.” The merchant pulled a small bag from their robes which was dropped into Aurum’s palm with a weighty punch. “Now, I must say farewell. It was a pleasure doing business.” The merchant’s caravan began to move further into the city, leaving the students with a fair amount of funds.
Aurum, with hands shaking with greed, loosened the cloth pouch to reveal thirty honest to god fingers made of silver. They weren’t exactly human fingers, no, they were draconic fingers. Perhaps it was more accurate to call them claws or talons? Whatever the case, they were there and they were quite heavy. Aurum had to wipe away the drool that started to drip from her lips, her greed being a bit too on display.
“What was that!?” The group were torn from their shock from the hasty deal by Echidna, who was radiating anger and was on the verge of tears. “First, you doubt my knowledge. Then, you burn my belongings. And now you steal my rings and sell them in front of me!? Have you no respect for I? Well I’ll have none of it!”
“We’re in another world and have no clue how long we’ll be here. These fingers can save our lives, y’know? If you want, you can take half of them and try to barter for them back.” Aurum dug her fingers into the pouch. It wasn’t that they didn’t understand where Echidna was coming from, it was just that they did need the resources. Though the jerky and roots kept them from starvation, they were extremely hungry since even with all of Pepe’s efforts he couldn’t forage enough to keep fourteen people full every night.
“It’s the principle of the matter!” Echidna denied Aurum’s money and turned around. Pin and Yolk looked a bit guilty but simply averted their gaze. “I will have no more of this! If I must cease my destiny alone, then so be it!” Without a word more, she ran off, startling the group.
She was fuming as she slipped through the streets and crowds of people, ignoring how they called for her and tried to reach out.
“Of course I was excited! A new world! A new realm! A new plane for adventure! How could I not be excited to share such an odyssey with my contemporaries?” She muttered under her breath, wiping away disappointed tears. “Fantasy? Fantasy? You speak as if I am delusional when we are walking among bipedal cats, dogs, lizards, and more! Did you not see the snake the size of a large tree trunk slithering down the street?”
…
“But I am chosen. You are proof enough, proof that there is something within me, something special. Didn’t you hear what mother and father said?” In her grief and haste, Echidna didn’t notice where she was going, and stumbled out of the crowd and into armor. “Huh?” Echidna fell over, as did the other person. When she looked up, she saw the person she bumped into.
It was an absolute mountain of a man, human in most regards and standing at around six feet. He wore nothing but a loincloth and jewelry as he walked through the desert. The one bizarre thing about them was their right arm, which was elongated and oversized, and also draconic. It had numerous scales that glimmered red and several sharp claws the size of her own hand.
It was with their left arm that they had held up a palanquin, which was held by three other similarly enhanced individuals wearing few clothes.
As she bumped into him, the mobile platform had fallen over, and she could see who was inside, behind the curtains. If the merchants she occasionally got glances of were resplendent, the one being held up was dressed in absolute gorgeous clothes. They had flourishes and styles that were flashy and beautiful to the point of being impractical to wear. The colors were so vivid and rich that it seemed like they’d never been so much as touched by a single speck of dust. The jewelry they wore was similarly exorbitant, with gems that glowed despite only a handful of dim rays entering through the off kilter curtains.
More than anything, it was their head that caught her attention. For while the rest of their body was too clad in clothes for her to see anything odd, their head was bizarre. It was what could only be called a smaller dragon’s head on a humanoid body, with red scales shimmering like the plethora of jewels they wore. She’d later learn that it was similar from the neck down.
They spoke in a foreign tongue and gilded claws furiously pointed in her direction, repeating the same phrase over and over again. Echidna didn’t know what was happening and before she could say anything, something hit her, and she fell asleep.
)-------)(-------(
“I see, I see, so that’s what you did?” Akaka listened to the end of the new prisoner’s tale and nodded. “Peculiar, quite peculiar. Two souls in the same body, one now sentenced to death for the crimes of the other!”
“Yeah, it’s bullshit.” Faffy, as she’d been dubbed by her parents and her body-roomate, let out a long sigh. “I don’t even know who the fuck I bumped into! And what was he saying? I thought the folks here spoke English as well.”
“The city’s lord, it sounds, yes, yes! Clad in clothes and carried by four, yes, it seems he still does it even now.” Akaka cryptically chuckled. “Your other inquiry, I must add. The Draconic Lords who rule the sands speak a higher tongue than common. They speak and write Ibalban, the old tongue of their ancient progenitors.”
“Great, cool, whatever.” Faffy never really bought into Echidna’s fantasies. Sure, they couldn’t deny that they were in another world, but that didn’t mean the other things Echidna said were true.
“Are you done?” Air rapidly ran from her lungs as another voice outside the cell made itself known. She looked to the side to see the silhouette of a guard, she could see it with how the dim light reflected off of their chainmail armor. “You’ll be heading to the chopping block now.”