“Well hello to you, too, Charles,” Valteria replied. “The ‘giant cat’ is named Freyja, firstly, and she is the bonded companion of Xander, here. He said I should tell you that she’s an emotional support animal.”
Charles barked out a laugh at the absurdity of the statement. He made his way from behind the counter, leaving the bar to one of the other workers in the tavern, to continue speaking with Valteria and Xander without needing to shout over the din of the tavern. “An emotional support animal? I take it you’re a [Godsmarked], eh?” He said, turning to face Xander.
“Uhm, yes. I am. Nice to meet you. Valteria told me that you’re also a [Godsmarked]?”
“Sure am,” Charles replied. “Pulled right out of Denver, not that you could tell from an accent or anything. You might not have noticed, but that language skill you got? Kinda strips you of any accent, makes you talk just like a native. Where are you from?”
“Atlanta,” Xander replied.
“Ah, another American! Course, [Godsmarked] come from all over. Some of them aren’t even from Earth! I met a Vorn [Godsmarked] once. Few dwarven ‘marked, too. So it’s always nice to meet someone who can appreciate what a beer, hotdog, and screaming at your TV for a sports match really mean.”
“Well, I was always more of a fan of wine, personally. But I’ll admit to getting frustrated at the people on my TV.”
“What’s a TV?” Valteria chimed in, not wanting to be left out.
Xander and Charles both looked at Valteria and started trying to explain what a TV was at the same time.
“It’s like my phone, but bigger and just for moving pictures,” Xander started off.
“It’s a big rectangular box that shows paintings that move and tell a story,” Charles said at the same time.
Valteria looked a little frazzled by the simultaneous explanations but seemed to get the gist of it. “Why would you be screaming at it?”
Xander looked to Charles, who said, “Should I explain or do you want to?”
Xander shrugged. “All you.”
“Well you could watch different sports on the TV, and they were broadcast live – that is, in real time. There was a usually alcohol involved. You ever seen someone spectating a duel who shouts what they think their favorite should be doing?”
“Mmhm,” Valteria said with a nod.
“Well we’d do the same thing, except since we weren’t actually there, we’d just shout it at the TV.”
“So they could hear you through it?”
“Nah,” Xander chimed in. “But that didn’t stop people.”
“Odd.” Valteria commented, a bit confused by the idea of shouting at a bunch of players who couldn’t hear you.
“People just tended to get really excited about it,” Xander tried to offer as an explanation.
Changing the subject, Charles said “So, I have two burning questions for you two. One, what brings you to my establishment tonight? It’s been quite a while since you’ve been by, Valteria, and I can’t say that you’ve ever brought someone with you before. And two... can I pet the cat?”
“Uhm...” Valteria started and trailed off, looking embarrassed.
Xander answered his question with more ease, saying, “Sure, she loves to be scratched on the chin and behind the ears, but really she likes being pet anywhere.”
Charles stepped closer to the huge, smoke colored cat and held out a hand for her to sniff. Freyja immediately rubbed her cheek against Charles’s hand, anticipating getting pet by the man. Encouraged, Charles began to pet Freyja in earnest, thoroughly scratching her chin before moving to her ears, earning himself a pleased grunt from Freyja. But that didn’t stop him from noticing Valteria’s lack of an answer.
“’Uhm?” He asked Valteria, turning to look at her, but not stopping his petting of Freyja.
“Xander said I needed to have a drink at the end of the day and I was inclined to agree with him,” Valteria finally answered.
“Ahhh, a date then,” he teased his violet friend. Noticing Valteria’s lack of an immediate denial, and a slight smile that he took as Xander’s acceptance of the statement, his eyes widened a little and he said, “Oh, oh I see. A real date.” Valteria’s blush came back as strongly as ever as Charles continued on. “Well I’d hate to keep you two from each other! Come, sit, I spy a free table just over there. I’ll bring you two some ale in a bit.”
“Oh, uh, I can’t drink,” Xander interjected. “It’s a... medical condition? But bring two anyway. I think Valteria could use it.”
Charles shrugged before saying, “Fair enough I suppose. I won’t pry too much, at least not on our first meeting. I do hope to see you again though. [Godsmarked] are always welcome here. Now go get that table before someone else does!”
Xander led the still embarrassed Valteria along with Freyja to the small, empty table near one of the corners and they both sat down, Freyja taking up part of the floor between the two of them. For a little while, the two of them just stared at each other, not sure where to start.
Finally, Xander thought of something to say. “You know, I still haven’t helped fix your armor. Do you want to work on that tomorrow?”
“Oh yeah,” Valteria said, remembering herself that her armor was currently defunct. “That would be nice. Feels a bit weird to know that I don’t have access to it, now that I think about it.”
Xander nodded. “I can understand that. I’d feel vulnerable without access to my armor, too.”
“Exactly,” Valteria agreed. “I’m also realizing that we only went over a little bit of your runework and I didn’t teach you anything about cores, or converting them to different mana types.”
“That’s okay,” Xander said. “I guess you could give me a lecture now, if you want. I like listening to you.”
“Oh hush,” Valteria chuckled. “But I suppose it’s only fair to give you at least some detail. Let’s see. The most important parts of a mana battery that involves a shift in mana type are the core of the battery itself, and the filter that you pass the mana through to change its type. These are almost always parts of a monster or elemental. So, if you had, say, a core from an earthen elemental and a some hide from a creature that was attuned to lightning in some way, you could pass the mana from the earth core through the hide of the lightning attuned creature to create lightning mana. I’m a little less versed on why it works like that. Something to do about how monsters are able to absorb ambient mana around them and convert it into mana of their attuned type. If they have one. Not all monsters are attuned to a type of mana, of course. So you have your battery, mana conduit –which I’ll show you how to make later- running to your filter, and then from your filter you have more conduit which runs to the apparatus that you want to power. Which is a beast in its own right, as you have to have at least a basic understanding of how a type of mana works to get it to power something. We can go over that kind of thing once you get the hang of just converting mana.”
Xander nodded along as Valteria spoke. He hadn’t been lying earlier when he said that he enjoyed listening to her talk. When she was on a topic that interested her, he could see the gears turning behind her eyes as they put pieces together that showed she really knew what she was talking about. Plus she seemed to enjoy talking about her work, and Xander liked to see that. Her happiness was infectious, giving him a vicarious sense of enjoyment. “I see... I guess I need to go shopping for some monster parts. And start looking out for what to pull out of monsters when I’m out on contracts, too.”
“Mmhm, that would certainly be the cheaper way to go about it, though I suppose there’s a lot more luck and danger involved in it. If you have some kind of way to measure mana density, then you should be able to use it to locate the core or organ of a monster that it uses to power its abilities.”
Xander frowned slightly in thought. “Hmm... I can’t say that I do, but I think I could design something with some research.”
Valteria’s ears practically wiggled when she heard the word research. “Speaking of research, what kind of things have you researched and done with your rune work?” She leaned forwards toward Xander in interest.
“Well, a few major things, I suppose.” Xander said thoughtfully. “Let’s see... well there’s the golems for one, as well as uhm, my body,” he said. “And my armor, my wings and my backpack, too. Those are all rune work. My weapons are also runed – the one I usually use wasn’t really fit for the tournament. I figured a mace designed to increase force and dissolve metal or anything else it touches was a little bit... deadly for a sporting tournament. Oh, and there’s my gun, too. And the bombs.” Xander purposely left out the soul rippers. He didn’t want to talk about them right now.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Valteria was clearly interested. “Gods above that is a lot of rune work. Bombs? And a gun? What exactly is a gun? I’ve heard Charles reference them in passing before.”
“Well the bombs are pretty straightforward. They’re filled with an explosive mixture, and then I use a ranged gathering array and a flame rune to trigger the explosive. I’ve also designed ones that detonate on impact, too. As for the gun, it’s a tool that’s designed to accelerate a piece of metal to high speed very rapidly, which you use to shoot something with. Back on Earth, an explosive powder was used to propel the bullet – that's the name for the projectile – out of the gun. I have a few that I can show you. I think you’d like them. They’re completely mechanical, no magic involved. The one I mostly use now is based on the same design, but uses a runic array to propel the bullet instead, which makes it much quieter. There’s also no kickback and I made it larger so that I can take down bigger things, too.”
“I think I would like to see those guns you mentioned. Is it better than a crossbow?”
“A lot,” Xander said. “At least the ones I have. They have a much faster rate of fire than a crossbow. The old ones, where you had to load each individual bullet might not hold up to a skill user using a bow or crossbow, though. Well, when you start throwing skills around, I’ve seen arrows that will blast a hole in something that should have completely ignored an arrow. But my current project is, perhaps, a little bit less exciting.” Xander pulled the small piece of cloth he’d been working on the day before, which shimmered as he held it up.
“It’s pretty, but, what is it?” Valteria asked, staring at the square of fabric that was inexplicably shifting colors in front of her.
“Well, when I’m done with it, it will be an adaptive camouflage, something that changes to match its environment. Right now it’s just a test piece instead of a whole cloak. I’ve got the darker tones down,” he demonstrated by laying the cloth down flat on the table. It immediately took on the color and pattern of the wood under it. “As you can see. But on more vibrant colors, it doesn’t quite work right, yet. In fact, it makes them even brighter. So it still needs a little tweaking. I think I need to tweak how much light the arrays are putting out.”
“That does sound like it would handy… especially in your line of work. Though I’m not sure what exactly light has to do with it.”
“Ah, it’s a bit of a complicated explanation, but the short of it is that it’s a bit like a light created illusion overlayed on the fabric to match what’s near it.”
Charles appeared briefly, having managed to sneak up on the two of them, distracted as they were by their conversation.
“Gods, Valteria, I didn’t think you could bag a bigger nerd than yourself, but I think you might have come close,” he joked, apparently having caught at least some of Xander’s explanation of his project. He placed two mugs down in front of Valteria. “I’ll put them on your tab.”
“Hey!” Valteria exclaimed. “I thought it was interesting!”
“Of course you did, because you’re a nerd!” Charles teased her as he moved to give other customers their drinks.
“Hmph,” Valteria huffed. “I am not a nerd!”
“If you say so,” Xander chuckled. “There’s nothing wrong with being a nerd, though, you know. In fact, I like seeing get excited about things you think are interesting.”
“Really?” Valteria said as she took a sip of her ale. The cup looked excessively large in her small hands.
“Mmhm! It’s cute,” he said with a smile. Valteria sputtered on her drink a little bit at being called cute, but managed not to choke.
“You know,” she said slowly, putting her drink back down, “if you keep calling me beautiful, and attractive and cute, I might start to believe you.”
“Good, you should, because you are,” Xander replied seriously.
The rest of the evening continued on in much the same manner, the Valteria and Xander taking the time to get to know one another better, and discussing various ideas they had for projects. Xander regaled Valteria with an account of his team’s fight with the sea drake. Then if was Valteria’s turn to relay her experience of traveling from one continent to another and the various and occasionally terrifying sea creatures and storms she had encountered on the voyage.
As it drew later and the tavern became emptier, the two of them continued to talk. Valteria was several ales in – more than she usually drank, if Xander was any kind of judge of tipsyness. He wished he could still get drunk. Valteria stretched her small frame and yawned.
“Maybe it’s just the ale, but I’m a bit tired.” Looking around at the significantly less lively tavern floor, she commented, “Or maybe it’s just actually getting late.”
Xander smiled at her and said, “It could be both.”
“Yeah, maybe both.”
Freyja had long ago decided that her time would be best spent taking a nap, her body parked halfway under the small table that Xander and Valteria were seated at.
“Would you like me to walk you back to your house?” Xander asked.
“Oh I wouldn’t want to trouble you with all that,” Valteria lazily waved away the suggestion. “I’m sure you’re eager to get back to your own bed.”
Xander shrugged. “I don’t mind a bit, in fact I’d like to, if you’re amenable to it. Frankly it feels rude to send you off in the dark like that. And, well, I also just don’t need to sleep anymore,” he added. “I’ve started to find it rather soothing to take a stroll through the city at night. And Freyja could use the exercise.”
Freyja half woke at hearing her name and groaned slightly.
Valteria seemed pleased with the offer. If Xander was capable of reading minds, he would know that she had been hoping he’d want to walk her home even after she’d told him it was okay if he didn’t, but he wasn’t, so he didn’t know. “Well, if you insist, then I shan’t stop you,” she said happily.
“Ah, also, let me cover your tab for the night,” Xander told her. “I don’t know if it’s the same here, but where I’m from it’s a bit traditional for the man to cover at least the first few dates.”
“Ohh, how old fashioned of you,” Valteria teased. “But I’d feel guilty since you didn’t have anything at all. Can we at least split it, instead?”
“I think I can live with that,” Xander assented.
The two of them made their way to the bar, Valteria a bit unsteady on her feet, where Charles was still working, cleaning a few mugs. “Time for us to pay up,” Xander said, grabbing the other [Godsmarked]’s attention. “How much do we owe?”
Once Charles tallied up the amount of drinks they’d had and did the mental match to calculate the total cost, he let them know. Valteria paid her half from a small coin pouch that had been tucked somewhere in her clothes while Xander’s coin came from his inventory. Charles took the coin, not bothering to count it again, and stashed it somewhere behind the bar. “Make sure you get her home nice and safe, now, you hear?” He told Xander.
“Charles! I can take care of myself just fine!” Valteria half exlaimed, half whined.
“I’m sure you can,” Xander agreed. “But I’d feel terrible if something happened, and I’m sure Charles would too. He’s just looking out for you is all.”
“Maybe I just want to make sure you and loverboy there get to spend a little more time together, eh?” Charles joked.
“Ugh, you’re always teasing me, Charles!”
“Well, you always give me a reaction.” Charles said with a smirk.
Valteria huffed, but it all seemed to be good natured quarreling to Xander. The same kind of ribbing that he and his teammates would give each other.
“I’m not complaining about spending more time with you,” Xander chimed in.
“Xander you are not helping!”
Xander walked arm in arm with Valteria on their trip back to her home and shop, Freyja sleepily following along. The big cat was frequently letting out long yawns, which Valteria would giggle at. They walked at a leisurely pace, taking in the city at night as they headed back, Valteria holding herself closer to Xander to help her balance. Xander decided not to tease her about it. He told himself it was because he didn’t want to be mean, but really it was because he was enjoying the closeness.
Finally, they reached Valteria’s doorway. The two of them stared at each other for a long moment.
Evidently, Valteria still retained some liquid courage from her ale because she finally spoke and said, “Would it be rude of me to kiss you?”
Xander, very slowly, said, “I think... It would be rude not to.” Wrapping Valteria in his arms and feeling her return his hug, Xander leaned in. It was a good kiss, if tiny a bit awkward due to their height difference. But between Valteria standing on her toes and Xander craning his neck downward, it was achieved. Xander found himself idly wondering if his lips felt odd. Valteria’s certainly didn’t.
Eventually, the two of them pulled away, both a little frazzled and flustered.
Just slightly breathless, Valteria said, “That was... it was good.”
“It was. It really was,” Xander agreed. “I’ll... see you again tomorrow?”
“I’d like that,” Valteria agreed.
Xander watched Valteria unlock the door to her shop floor and enter, locking it back behind herself. He stood a little bit longer, just staring at the door, lost in thought. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he started walking with Freyja back to the inn. He was glad Freyja was with him, as it removed the temptation to fly back to the inn. He gave the large cat a pet on the head. Walking would help him sort his thoughts out.
What were his thoughts? Even he wasn’t sure at the moment, still feeling a little flustered. He shook his head again and tried to gather his mind. He’d just had a date. He’d broken down and started flirting with a woman he found attractive and turned a friendly outing into a date. He let out a sigh. Should he be upset with himself? He was, a little bit. He’d told himself that he was a married man still when he had arrived on Tillania, and yet here he was acting like he was single. He was split into two modes of thought. Objectively, he knew that there was essentially zero chance of him ever returning to Earth. And that even if he had the option, his new body would probably cease to function in what he assumed was a mana-less environment and he’d immediately die. Emotionally, though, it felt disrespectful to the memory of his marriage to even entertain the idea of another romance, let alone do... what he’d just done. Even if he did think that Helen wouldn’t hold it against him if she knew that, somewhere out there, he was still alive.
So much had happened in the last three years to Xander, even if two of them had been spent unconscious, that he wondered if he’d even be able to relate to Helen anymore. How would he go back to a life of going to work at an office job, going to drill once a month. The most dangerous aspect of his life being the prospect of being in a car crash. Now, a car crash wouldn’t even phase him or even damage his body beyond, perhaps, cosmetic damage. He was a different man, wasn’t he? Similar, in many ways, maybe even most ways, to the man who had come to Tillania that day, but not the same anymore. He’d never fought anything or anyone before that day. Now, he had lost count of how many creatures, monsters, and even people that had fallen to him and his teammates. He’d created things that he could only dream of back on Earth. Golems, wings, magical weapons. He was going to have to come to terms with the fact that he had changed. And while he wasn’t sure he was ever going to fully move on or get over being pulled away from his marriage and from Earth, he was going to have to accept that he wasn’t going to be going back to them. He deserved companionship, didn’t he?
Feeling a bit more resolute and less frustrated with himself, Xander finished the walk to the inn, which he was sure had a name, but he’d never bothered to remember it, simply referring to it as ‘the inn’ in his head, in relative mental peace. He quietly put Freyja back into her stall in the stables and made his way into the inn, which held only a few patrons at this hour, none of whom paid him any attention.
Xander climbed the stairs and walked to Gabrelle’s door. He paused for a moment, realizing something. Gabrelle’s door. Fuck. He was going to have to stop sharing a room, more importantly a bed, with Gabrelle, wasn’t he? He didn’t think that he should be dating someone and sleeping with someone else, even if that sleeping was actually just sleeping and nothing more. He knew he’d feel weird to know that Valteria was sleeping with another man, and he’d only been on one date with the woman! He hoped Gabrelle didn’t take it too hard. Though, ever since they’d rendezvoused with the rest of the team, he had noticed that she slept much more soundly. He wasn’t really a needed crutch for her to be able to sleep well anymore. It was still going to be an awkward conversation. Also, Gabrelle was going to tease him about going on a date.