I barely slept. The caravanserai wasn't silent even during the night and to push away the fright I felt every time someone came near the witch's tent, I sent the footage of her language lesson to the iPod and plugged in my earbuds. I used the phone to type the words I was able to understand. The learning boon was showing its worth. I had about fifty to seventy words already learned.
The day starts with the sun, or even before it. The noise from outside increased until it was impossible to stay in bed. I woke up and felt the call of the wild again. I didn't want to go to the outhouses. No way. I was sure these pelts were valuable. Compared to the ones I slept on, they were an order of magnitude better. I needed some privacy and a chamber pot. I'd settle for a proper porcelain flushing toilet but I knew it wasn't going to happen.
My mission then was to find a room. Maybe there's an inn for travelers. I didn't know. I couldn't even ask. I turned on the sound recording on both my phone and the iPod and placed one device on each side of my pants, on the side pockets that had buttons. I needed to learn their language and I needed samples to study. Before I got outside, I heard the witch singing and the sound of something rolling. I also smelled a strong herbal scent. I went outside and she was crushing the herbs I dried yesterday with a grinding wheel. I waved at her and she waved back, saying something. Maybe it was their version of 'good morning'. I kept the words in mind to see if I heard them again. I repeated the words to her and she nodded and kept grinding herbs. She had several wheels, one for each kind of herb.
I caught her attention again and pointed around and wiggled my fingers like a person walking. She nodded and went back to her herbs. I wondered if she even cared if I stayed or went away. So I went for a walk around the caravanserai. Like I was shopping for groceries or accessories. Find something I knew what was, let the merchant speak. Catch those patterns.
My intentions were demolished at the first fruit stand. The fruits were all alien but the alien was me. I went around the booths, silently pointing at stuff and trusting my devices to record their mouths. Some of the merchants tried to get too friendly and I walked away. Not only I didn't have Martin Lawrence's charm I also couldn't understand what the natives were talking. I noticed that all merchants in the caravanserai were men. Some women here and there shopping, but all of them avoided eye contact with men and gave them the right-of-way.
Soon the fact that I was window shopping and breaking a few privacy laws that weren't invented yet became obvious and the merchants stopped giving me attention as a customer. It didn't mean they stopped giving me attention altogether though. They just started to evaluate my worth as merchandise. I reached a section of the caravanserai where a lot of scantily clothed girls aged from young to pedobear-flagged too young were on display, with chains bound to their ankles. A thick piece of metal was twisted between the rings, preventing them from breaking free. Behind the girls, cages with men and other women, the slave merchant probably didn't feel like marketing as sexual toys.
That's right, a slave merchant. He talked to me, pointing at some strong men that had oiled bodies and a too-tight and thin loincloth designed to show they had nothing going on underneath. Eunuchs. I was about to get the heck away from there when I was approached by a man dressed in a colorful toga, embroidered with designs and a well-groomed beard. His outfit screamed nobility, and I knew he was bad news. He spoke something and I just shook my head. He moved closer and I saw some guards behind him. These were wearing chain hauberks and ornate scimitars.
He had a creepy way of looking at me, like some sort of sexual offender ready to pounce. As he approached, I felt heat leave me as my whole body prepared for the incoming fight of flight of response. Another step from him and fearing he'd just box me in or grab me or something else, I turned around bolted away.
Halfway through the caravanserai and dodging passersby and animals. Some chickens started to run away from me, turning into a forward escort to make people part. I glanced behind me and they weren't following. I stopped to catch my breath. Heart pounding, I cursed my lack of a spine. He was just talking, dammit. But I felt creeped out. Badly. I didn't even have my sword with me. Stupid. Not stupid for not having a sword, for thinking of starting a fight here. The place was packed full of money and valuables and guards were everywhere.
I could see I gathered the wrong kind of attention for my daring dashing antics. Some merchants were pointing at me, shouting something. Guards wearing scale mail were coming, armed with scimitars. They hadn't their weapons in hand yet. Yet.
Mr. Fancytoga was coming, taking his damn time. I looked around and I was surrounded. The whole caravanserai stopped to watch. Fancytoga said something, probably a joke. Some men laughed. The guards stopped about two meters from me, some of them with their hands on the hilt of their scimitars. I should be looking guilty as hell. Shaking, panting, trembling. My flight instinct running at a thousand volts, pumping adrenalin in my bloodstream.
My gaze was on Fancytoga. Some other merchants came and asked something of him. I could grasp his name. Hama-Tula. He dismissed and denied whatever the other guy said without taking his gaze away from me. He stopped five meters from me and his two guards moved forward, flanking him, probably to defend him if I tried to strike him. Not happening.
He spoke to me. I had no idea what he was saying but I was recording. He ended with a question. I decided to not answer. Not to give any yes or no response with my body language.
I heard the witch's voice and I almost cried in relief. I looked and she was pushing the guards away. Soon she was by my side, taking to Hama-Tula. She pointed at me and then her. Then she grasped my wrist and slapped my face. She had a tender gaze and the slap hurt. But this disparity between her action and the way she looked at me made me pause. She then started to pat my body, searching for something. I put my hands in my pockets and sent my devices to storage. Now the only items form Earth out in the open were the clothes I was wearing. For two days straight. I wanted a bath. Badly.
She pulled my hands and showed they were empty. She kept searching and pulled my pockets inside out to show they were empty. Then she asked something to Hama-Tula and he denied. She slapped my face again and grabbed my wrist, pulling me back toward her tent. I couldn't even think straight. All that went through my mind was what would happen if she hadn't intervened. Dazed, I followed her inside her tent. She closed the curtain and tied two ribbons to keep it shut. Then she started to scold me, speaking a ton of things. I brought my devices back and checked the screens. Still recording. I sat on the furs I slept on and the tension left my body.
I cried.
My whole body felt as if I took a beating from all those guards. What wonderful idea to go out and just take a walk as if I was a tourist in an exotic place. I was in a dangerous place where human life was worth almost nothing and women were merchandise. I filtered out what the witch was telling me. I could berate myself just fine. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Eventually, she tired of speaking and I tired of crying. The witch went back to crafting her magic potions or whatever else that was and I just hugged my knees. What a great reincarnated heroine I was. But we were not scheduled for calm and quiet. The forecast had a drizzle of interlopers. I saw a group of shadows crawl up on the outside of the tent and a man shouted. The witch groaned, put her herbal concoctions aside and went to the opening to see who was it. I had a hunch she knew.
She untied the ribbons and poked her head outside. She started to argue with the men and I recognized the word for women. They were talking about me. I could understand the words "girl/woman", "offered price" and Hama-Tula's name being dropped in an intimidating tone. The witch was being pushed into selling me? What the heck. The woman was the only decent person I've met this far. Out of two.
I felt something burning from my very core. My head spun. If I weren't already sitting down, I'd fall. I just dropped a hand to the ground to support myself. I saw their faces flash before me. Andrews, Tarhun, Hama-Tula. To them, I was never a person. Just a tool. Something that could be manipulated and used. Probably disposed of when no longer needed. I saw the girls being sold at the slave market. I was afraid.
I felt the terror of being assaulted by my advisor of all people, professor Andrews. I felt the indignation at the absolute intimidation from the deific presence of Tarhun. It was a feat of strength in itself that my disembodied soul was able to even negotiate with him in that state. Although he did offer me some perks, the fact stands that he killed me. I felt the humiliating outrage at being reduced to mere merchandise just because of my gender.
I had a second life. What kind of person would I become? Who was this girl? Sandra Hikari died. She was doomed that night. Was I her? The people that cared about her mourned and also died. A century went by if I were to believe what Tarhun told me. Would he lie?
While I was absorbed in self-reflection, the discussion outside was going in a downward spiral. Whatever Hama-Tula offered for these guys, they were not coming back empty-handed. I wondered what kind of influence that man had. Was he a wealthy merchant, or some local noble? Was this a barony? What was the political structure of this land?
"Why should I care?" A voice from a dark place of my mind told me. "Just crush anyone in your path."
I felt the same suppression I did in Tarhun's domain. But this time, having flesh and a thinking brain, I could both recognize it and feel the sheer terror as my survival instincts kicked in tenfold as hard as when I fled from Hama-Tula.
Some deity was talking to me. Some deity I wished to have no contact with. A dark, slimy power.
"I'm offended you think like that of me. I could give you the truth. Power."
I felt as if time had stopped. I couldn't move, or better yet, Time halted to a standstill. But I had no reason to trust this voice. Why was that dark and possibly evil deity contacting me?
"Tarhun offended you. He broke the rules and is now trying to cover up his blunder. If you help me make him pay for it, I'll give you all you want."
I fought back at the mental suppression. It was like knowing you were drunk, trying to sober up but then breaking into a stupid grin. I doubted this god could give me what I wanted. What I really wanted.
"You think you want to go back to your home, but what you really want is vengeance. Strength. The power to never be afraid again. I can give it to you. Power to crush that bug Hama-Tula, to put Tarhun where he belongs, even to bring justice to your beloved professor Andrews."
Yeah, lovely mind-reading. Didn't Tarhun said that he couldn't read my mind if I were not in his domain? And who was this that spoke to me without identifying themselves? And how did...
"Enough!" Tarhun's voice rang and I felt my eardrums almost break. "She is not yours, Dark One. You still owe me, Sandra Hikari Kinoshita Rinaldi. You still hadn't declared our bargain fulfilled."
"Foolish Tarhun. He can't touch you, girl. Say the word and Tarhun will suffer the penalty for killing you. Justice will be done."
Oh. The tablet. I still didn't acknowledge Tarhun's bargain. If he left it for after I reincarnated instead of doing it in his domain, it was because he couldn't. They were bound by laws, by rules. And I could understand why the Dark One was talking to me. Because of my emotions, he was able to reach me. But besides talking to me, these two were as good as phantoms in the back of my mind.
They couldn't hurt me. Not without paying a high price. I couldn't feel any respect from either of them. I was merely a tool, a pawn on their game. As long as I didn't discharge Tarhun's debt, that was something the Dark One could use against him.
But the fact I was still angry at him meant the bargain with Tarhun was not fair. He suppressed me while we negotiated.
"That's right. You can't trust him. Just say the word and Tarhun will get what he deserves!" The Dark One laughed.
He fed on my humiliation. He relished at my indignation. He grew on my terror. He offered me a chance to get back to Andrews. How could it be possible?
Silence. Neither deity deigned to answer. It was an answer in itself. Something none of them wanted to disclose or deny.
I could renegotiate my deal with Tarhun. I knew that doing what the Dark One wanted meant forsaking any protection I had.
"Tha--"
Tarhun was about to speak but was interrupted. Muted. If by the Dark One or because of some authority he had to comply with, I never knew. But the Dark One interference helped me figure out one thing. Tarhun wasn't evil. Not that the Dark One was. Who was I to call a God evil just because he fed on dark emotions?
Neither one spoke. Both were being muted. I knew what I wanted from Tarhun. Just three little things.
First, I wanted our non-aggression to be upgraded. He should protect me from the other deities of this world's influence and from the ones that worshipped him. Let them not bring physical harm to me or mine if I didn't harm them first. And as 'mine' I meant my pets, family, and friends. No stealing either.
Second, I wanted the gift of tongues. Not Glossolalia, but the gift of the four proficiencies in all languages. Hear, speak, read and write.
Third, I wanted a set of pictures of this world. I imagined my GoPro soaring over the entire world taking pictures of its surface from above, going around the planet and taking the pictures at noon, without cloud coverage. That sucks in satellite photos. Enough pictures to form a Google-Earth-like rendering of the world. Skip oceans if the depth is greater than a hundred meters. And geotag them. In whatever resolution could fit into a 256GB memory card. And don't use one of mine. Create a new one, you're a God.
I felt something shatter far away. It was the barrier that blocked those two gods from talking to me. Tarhun spoke first.
"I accept your terms. It will take one full day to get the images you want."
There was a story about two orphan brothers that had a godfather. One year the godfather promised that on their birthday, he'd take them to a toy shop and they had one hour to chose a gift and then would spend the rest of the hour playing in an amusement park. The first brother went away on his birthday and returned happy as a lark, playing the harmonica. He showed his brother the musical instrument. He'd picked it really fast so he spent most of the hour playing at the park. The second brother thought the first one stupid for choosing a cheap harmonica when he could've picked anything.
So the second brother, on his birthday, decided to scour the toy shop for the perfect toy. He saw robots, brick building sets with thousands of pieces. Toy foam-dart guns that looked like the real deal. Electronic games. A bicycle. A world of wonder and so many things to chose from. He had to get the perfect one. Show his older brother how he was best at picking a toy. The hour passed and he hadn't chosen. The godfather gave him an ultimatum. Pick one thing right then and return to the orphanage or return empty-handed. Overwhelmed by infinite choices and on a time crunch, he took the first thing he saw.
A harmonica.
I could ask for the power to shoot laser beams from my eyes. I could ask to be the very best like no one ever was. Would it be granted? I don't know. I didn't need the world. I didn't want the perfect toy. I wanted to go to the amusement park. I wanted to live my life. Returning to Earth was impossible or the Dark One would've offered that. Out of his reach if not outright impossible. I could feel he wanted to bring Tarhun down that badly. So I asked for what I really needed and everything else I'd carve with my own two hands.
My perception of time returned to normal. Their deific presence was gone. I felt a sharp pain in my mind and everything around me made sense.
I heard the thug that was arguing with the witch.
"I told you, old witch. Either you sell the girl or we are taking her by force. I don't want to hurt some old lady. Take the coin."
The dark, paralyzing emotions were gone. I knew Tarhun had fulfilled my wishes. I looked in my hand and that sandstone tablet he gave me was there. The list of boons was updated and I could feel something engraved on the previously smooth back.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
> If you concentrate on a person while this tablet is on your person, you can know if that person worships me or not.
>
> - Tarhun.
>
>
>
> The following boons are added:
>
>
>
> Gift of Tongues: You can listen, speak, read and write any language you had contact with.
>
> Tarhun's Divine Protection: The divine protection brings you good fortune. You are less likely to suffer bad events and more likely to encounter good events. You also are greatly resistant to curses. As long as you do not harm followers of Tarhun, they cannot harm you without facing divine punishment. Tarhun watches over and protects you.
>
>
>
> Please acknowledge our bargain as complete before the next sunset.
It was written in English. I immediately tested it on the witch. The tablet gave a soft vibration. The owner of the voice, the thug outside the tent. It also vibrated. Tarhun wasn't the leader of this world's pantheon for nothing. I put the tablet in my pocket, took the longsword in its sheath, and stood up.
"The girl is not for sale. Tell Hama-Tula that! And begone before I curse the bunch of you," The witch replied.
I walked next to her making sure my footsteps could be heard. She glanced at me and I smiled. I pointed at the outside with the pommel of my sword.
"Hey, senile hag, I'm speaking to you!"
She poked her head back outside. She was about to speak when I gripped her shoulder. I brushed the curtain aside and stepped out. I gave the thugs a cursory glance, six men that looked much like the ones camping in the road. I felt fear but I was brimming with confidence. I stopped at each one of them so the tablet could react. I felt the vibrations from all but two of them.
I sucked in a large breath. It was go time.
"Mind your words, please. This lady is my benefactor and I won't stand any insult against her."
I was expecting his fist to fly and hit my face. My fear wasn't gone. I was just overtaken by a bout of confidence from the transcendental experience I just had. I moved away from the witch whose name I recalled as one of our previous conversations replayed in my almost perfect memory and I finally could understand her.
"Nanna, stay in your tent. I'll deal with them," I told her with a wink without stopping.
"You will come with us. The boss will treat you right. Now come, girl."
I was a good ten meters away from her when the thug came to grab me. I felt every hair on my body rise and jumped back in a hurry.
*KRAKOW*
Thunder descended from the sky. I could see the white bolt of lightning strike the thug, burn his skin and boil his organs. Been there, buddy. Hurts like heck. My eyes weren't hurt or blinded by the flash of the lightning. I wish I had the same for my eardrums though.
holding the sheath in my left hand, I drew the longsword. It was really a masterwork piece. It was heavy and unwieldy in one hand though. I didn't expect to fight with it, just intimidate.
"I'll defend myself if needed. Come if you want to end like your friend there."
They looked up. The sky was as blue as yesterday. No clouds that could've discharged lightning.
"Shit. No amount of money is worth dying for," One of the two that didn't worship Tarhun turned around and ran for the exit.
The others were divided between going, fighting, or just pretending it was a joke. They shifted with unease in their spots, afraid. I sheathed the blade and channeled my inner Ian McKellen.
"Fly, you fools."
They didn't. Fly, I mean. The word I used in Akkadian didn't mean exactly 'fly' but the language was too context-based. They understood it as 'run'. And run they did. Nanna threw her head back as she cackled maniacally at the sight. I met her eyes and smiled.
The stench of ozone and burnt skin reached me as the wind shifted. The body of the thug was on the ground, feet over a patch of vitrified dirt. I moved away and scanned my surroundings. I wanted to find Hama-Tula. I wished to get back at him for sending these thugs and for scaring me out of my wits. I locked my eyes on him and sheathed the sword. I walked like Rachel McAdams did as she strutted in those high school corridors. Firm. Determined. Powerful. Hama-Tula met my challenge with a smirk. He was in for a world of hurt.
On my final approach, I review some of the conversations I heard while window-shopping. Booth-shopping. I could decipher them now and while I didn't need to learn their vocabulary and grammar anymore, I could grasp details of their customs and culture. One thing I heard mentioned several times was "as the code says" or "the law has it that...", followed by mentions of some law. The birthplace of the legal code, Mesopotamia held their dear Hammurabi's code to the heart. Or so I heard. But seeing how orderly they are and the reverence which they speak of their laws, I think that's the case here. But enough musing. It is time to face the dragon.
"Hama-Tula. I'd like to say well met but that would be a lie," I told him without breaking eye contact. "Give up and just go away. Bother me and suffer the consequences. You already gave me enough bother for a lifetime."
He didn't yield or even flinch. Instead, it seemed like he'd grown and his demeanor became menacing as he just straightened his back and frowned. I could tell he was angry at being talked back.
"Girl. I could have you whipped for talking me like that. I want to take you into my service. Come work for me and you won't regret."
The guards' faces behind him were inscrutable. They could be tin soldiers animated by Keira Knightley for all I knew. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see that one on the big screen. I checked the two guards and Hama-Tula, all of them tested positive for Tarhun worship.
"No. I think I'll pass. I am fine with my current occupation."
Hama-Tula's neck became stiff, betraying his otherwise impeccable poker face. Anger flowed into his eyebrows and he lowered his head as he pointed at me and shouted. "Guards, seize this woman. She is a thief and stole from me."
The scale-mail clad enforcers of the caravanserai took a step toward me and halted when I pointed at the sky and shouted. "Halt where you are! Thunder shall strike all who seek to harm me. Hama-Tula is a liar. tell me, what did I steal from you?"
"Coins. Shekels of gold and silver," I smile but he waves a hand, dismissing my yet-unspoken retort. "It is inconsequential now, you had plenty of time to hide your ill-gained valuables while you were in that tent."
A shekel is a measure of weight, around six to nine grams. The standard coin used in trades.
I straighten my spine and try to look down on him, "Are you accusing me without proof? I haven't touched you or even approached more than three arms from you. How would I steal anything from you from afar?"
"Sorcery. You can use magic, that is obvious enough. And you just killed a man. As I told, it is inconsequential now if you stole from me or not," He glared at the guards. "Seize her for murder!"
The guards hesitate. If I were them, I'd hesitate too as trying to get someone that apparently can shoot lightning from the sky might be hazardous. But I tried to use that moment to my advantage.
"I can't shoot lightning or move objects from afar, weaver of falsehoods!" I point a finger at the sky. "I am protected by Tarhun. He shall smite all who desires my harm."
I left behind the part that it only works on his worshippers. I felt no reluctance in his agreement to uphold our alliance. If I had to guess, the net benefit of touching the hearts of everyone watching compensate for the loss of a single worshipper. I did a full spin, concentrating on each enforcer surrounding me. They were three meters away and I didn't find a single non-believer. I was safe from them. I felt a fuzzy warmth in my choice of harmonica. Getting a major deity as a backer surely felt nice.
"Hama-Tula, we all saw the lightning, we all felt the holy power in it," one of the merchants in the crowd shouted. "Even if she did that, a sorceress that can call lightning out of the blue sky is not one to be trifled with."
I saw a flash of desperation wash over Hama-Tula for a moment. His inner merchant mind surely was calculating the odds, potential losses, and gains from getting me. To my dismay, he decided to take the risk. That moment, he looked like someone pressed into a corner. There was something looming over him that compelled him to go forward with his plan of getting me.
"One gold shekel to the man that hands that woman to me!" Hama-Tula plays his card after his internal struggle settled.
You better do your part, Tarhun. I grid my teeth and look around, to see where they will come from. The guards are divided between their fear and greed. Greed wins for one of them and he broke the circle to get me.
*KRAKOW*
Stronger and with a metal armor to direct the current away from his vital organs, the guard falls to the ground, twitching. I didn't want to proselytize but I shouted anyway.
"Thunder from heavens will smite all who dares challenge mighty Tarhun's mandate!"
That was enough to make most of the guards take a step back, increasing the clear radius around me by a half-meter. Some were slower or more reluctant in giving up the money than the others but the safety in numbers made even those back away. From what I knew of lightning victims, the struck guard would probably survive. Then I lowered and shook my head, forgetting completely that I was trying to be boastful. The guard needed modern medical treatment. I felt bad for him.
I knelt next to him. Not that his seizures stopped, I checked his vitals. He was not breathing and had no pulse. I Decomposed the metal of his scale mail and pulled my survival knife to cut the leather underneath, removing patches of skin that stuck to the leather and exposing his burnt chest. I started CPR immediately.
"He's dead!" Some bystander gasped.
Nobody approached.
"Get me a small pillow and some beeswax. Honey and olive oil too. Fast!"
I kept doing as I was instructed in the four-hour first aid orientation course I did a couple years ago. Ignore the century-long gap I had or not. I had to put my weight into the compressions but I feared to break his ribs. A broken rib is still better than death, I told myself. About two minutes passed and kept doing hands-only CPR. I wasn't certified to do mouth-to-mouth. The pillow arrived and I placed it under his neck and shoulders to tilt the head back. I was playing by ear as I had never really treated a person and Hollywood does a crappy job of depicting proper techniques most of the time.
I looked around and saw Nanna. "Get beeswax, honey and olive oil. Warm it so the wax melts and mix. Not hot enough to burn skin."
The old witch nodded. "Yes, child. Do as she says! Hurry!"
The mix could work as a balm to cover his burns. I later learned that beeswax was a luxury material for candles.
Five minutes in and the guard coughed. I kept the compressions but he started breathing on his own. I pressed his neck and felt a pulse. He opened his eyes, confused.
"Stay at ease. You'll live. Do not move and focus on breathing. Ignore the pain." I told him.
Nanna came with a clay pot with the greasy mix. I took it with two fingers and plastered it over his burn wounds after I confirmed it wasn't hot enough to burn him further. I knew it wasn't the best solution but it was what I think of in the short time and limited resources I had.
"Bandages. Get some linen cloth and cut long straps." They had bandages at least.
Two other guards helped me put the other sitting up. I Decomposed the armor and the silicon of the dirt stuck to his back and passed more ointment on his burns there. After he was properly cleaned and covered in the honey-based mixture, I wrapped his torso, arms, and head with the bandages.
The same two guards took their friend away. I stood up and cleaned my hands with the rest of the bandages. I made eye contact with Nanna and the witch smiled and nodded. Glancing around at the crowd, the hostility and fear were replaced by awe. I stood up and Decomposed the bundle of bandage and wax I cleaned my hand with. Along with the wax still stuck to my skin. I felt I needed to train more with Decompose.
Then my eyes fell on Hama-Tula. "Leave me alone or I swear you'll regret. I did nothing to you and all you did was incite the crowd with false accusations and get a guard hurt. I expect you to pay for his wounds."
I felt the mood swing against Hama-Tula. Some merchants mumbled that he was indeed responsible for paying.
"We shall see, girl. If threats are the commodity of the day, then I'll tell you this. You will also regret not coming with me. What I had in mind for you would be glorious."
He turned around and left, flanked by his two bodyguards. The crowd started to go back to their business. I looked around and found Nanna.
"Nanna, come. We need to talk," I told her.
"That we do, child. That we do."
We went back to her tent. She pointed at the cushions. "Sit, child. I'm glad you can speak now."
I shook my head. "I could speak before, just not your language. I can now. My name is Sandra, Nanna. I'm very thankful for your help. How can I repay you?"
She laughed. "You already did by drying my herbs. Saved me a week of work and the quality was almost as good as fresh herbs. I made more money out of them than what I spend on you. But tell me, Sandra, what are you?"
What, not who. I sighed and puckered my lips. Then I shrugged and told the truth. "I am a person from another world. Tarhun brought me here as part of a bargain."
"Yes, yes. I thought as much. I've never seen anyone with as much magic as you do, girl. Your magic glows so brightly it is hard to look at anything else. And those glowing boxes you have, they really interesting. I assume that now that you can speak our language, you don't need old Nanna's help anymore."
I grabbed her hand. "I still need your help, Nanna. I need to learn about this land, this town, these people and their laws and customs."
She made herself comfortable in her cushion and then spoke. I was in the En-Shunnu empire, the town of Es-Kina, which was the family name of the current Lords. They had several ethnical groups, predominantly Akkadians and Hittites but there were always groups of refugees migrating away from danger zones. She didn't explain what they were.
Their legal system was heavily based on Hammurabi's code, without much drift for centuries. New laws were hard to enact and everyone knew these laws by heart. I asked about the caravan where I found Penny and she told me they were traveling merchants from a nearby city-state. They had no relatives here and she didn't recommend traveling there.
"Then what should I do with the things I took from the bodies?"
She laughed. "Sell them, give them away, bury them deep under the earth. It is your choice as they now belong to you. As much as that lazy horse!"
I had to defend my mare. "Penny is not lazy. She just doesn't want to pull wagons. We get along just fine."
"Fair enough. But you really kicked the hornet's nest. Hama-Tula is a wicked and greedy merchant."
I tilted my head. "Aren't they all wicked and greedy?"
My quip elicited a bout of cackles from the old witch. "Maybe. But that one is dark. Rumor has it that despite all his apparent wealth, his house hangs by a thread. He owes a lot of money to a lot of people you don't want to owe money to. He is desperate, that much I could see in the way he dealt with it. My intuition is that he expected to settle some debts by selling you," She poked me on the chest and smiled, "But you are not some defenseless maiden waiting to be bought, are you?"
That brought back the indignation and rage. I kept them in check. "No way. Back in my world, maidens aren't usually sold and when they do, it is a crime."
She raised an eyebrow. "Then how do women marry in your world? What reason makes them marry?"
"Love. In my world women marry for love," I told her matter of factly.
Nanna burst into laughter. She laughed so hard she wheezed, out of breath. "Oh, that's hilarious. Marrying for love? Some world you have."
"Had," I sighed. "I can't go back."
"What are you doing here then? Some kind of divine mission? A champion sent to cleanse the world?"
I was quick to crease my eyebrows and shake my head to dismiss that notion. "No. I just want to live my life. I have no divine mission."
She smiled sagely. "That you know of. Tarhun is a tricky one. But he is not an evil god, far from that. So, Sandra from another world, what will be your next step in this one?"
I pondered for a while but the answer was obvious. "Take a warm bath."
"Yes, yes. My friend has an inn. We can go there after I buy you some things. I bet you looted the money in the caravan, right?"
She brought me to an inn on the other side of town. The eastern side. Her friend, the innkeeper's wife agreed to rent me the biggest room. She bought me soap, a plant that looked like a dry kernel of corn but was a sponge inside, and some peasant clothes. I put a wooden bar behind the door along with hooks that would hold it in place and took a warm bath. I had four tubs of water, one with warm water and the other three with cold water to wash my clothes and other items. I never had a bath that felt so good. I couldn't believe how dirty I was. I tried putting on one of the linen dresses Nanna bought me but it was too itchy. I solved it by wearing a shirt and skirt underneath.
I took the trash bag with the personal belongings from the caravan, the belt pouches, and coin bags. I dumped everything in the water tub and scraped away the blood. After thoroughly cleaning the coins, I piled them up. I had twelve gold shekels, three larger gold coins that by weight should be worth five to seven times as much as the normal ones, and a lot of silver and copper coins. Adding everything up, I had thirty-two gold, two hundred and sixty-two silver, three hundred and twelve copper, and two hundred and ninety-three bronze chips I knew were money but I had no idea how much they were worth.
I also had a few gemstones from the fancy pouches worn by the dead merchants too but I had no idea how much they were worth. But even if they were just sparkly pieces of worthless glass, I was quite rich. All the stuff Nanna bought me, the clothes, soap, candles, the sponge-plant, and the inn rent added up less than two silver. There were some bronze trinkets and amulets from the guards. A few had effigies of naked women. I guess they were this world's version of pin-ups.
I took the most grotesque amulet, a boar-woman with saggy tits and tested Decompose on it. It took me a few minutes of concentration before I could feel the resonance. I focused on it and I got a small lump of copper and a nugget of tin.
Time to make some experiments. I took the plastic bag that had the pouches and cut a piece of clean plastic. I now had the piece in one hand and the bag in the other. I released the bag. After a few moments, the bag disintegrated into a fine dust that disappeared. The piece in my hand remained unchanged. No, I could see up close that the plastic was growing slowly. I put it in storage to check later. Another bag, another piece. I stored the piece and held onto the bag. I could summon the piece and store it again, no change. I then released the bag with the piece in storage. It vanished like the other. The piece I kept in storage had already started to grow when I checked. It meant I could 'save' my clothes and other items by keeping a piece of them in storage. If I lost possession of the item, it would disappear and regrow later. I did it with my clothes, socks, and boots.
I washed my laundry and hung it to dry. Considering how hot and dry the weather was, I didn't even need to try to do the same I did to the herbs with my clothes. While I waited, I sat on the desk and took my laptop. I had to check what I could about their progenitor societies, the ancient Mesopotamian empires and write my journal.
I decided it was time to clear Tarhun of his debt. The boons he gave me were all okay. "Tarhun, I declare our bargain fulfilled." Nothing happened after I said that. Not even a breeze. I went back to writing my notes on this new world.
The night was claiming the blue of the sky when someone knocked at the door.
"Miss, dinner will be served soon. I thought you would like to eat before the inn gets too crowded."
Yes, I'd like that. I opened the door and found a small, shapely but unkempt, demure maid. "Hello. Nice to meet you, I'm Sandra. And you?"
The key to getting good service is to be nice to the wait staff. The girl fidgetted with her dress and answered without meeting my eyes, "I'm Arwia, madam."
"Well, Arwia. I have some items here I can't take with me and there's no lock on the door. What should I do?"
I pointed at the clothes drying. She scratched her head. "Patrons don't hang clothes to dry here. We usually wash the clothes and hang them outside in the sun. I'm sorry to ask, but what is a 'lo-ki'?"
Oh. I didn't notice. They don't even have a word for locks. I mentally checked. Padlock, key, nothing. locks simply weren't a thing. I went downstairs and bought a dinner set. It had a mug of ale, a loaf of bread and some stew. Three copper coins. I used the opportunity to check how much the bronze chip was worth. I took a pouch of them from my belt.
"Arwia, how many bronze chips would I need to pay for dinner?"
She froze. Then she started to count on her fingers. She stopped, counted again. "Eighteen, miss," She answered with a big grin, probably proud she could multiply three by six. Maybe she should be.
"How old are you, Arwia?" I would give her fifteen, minus or plus one year. I counted the coins and handed her twenty. "There's two extra for you."
She blinked. "I'm seventeen, miss. But why are you giving me two chips?"
"It is a tip. Because I'm very pleased with your service." I noticed the word tip also didn't exist in the sense I used so it came out in English.
"To buy a fig (ti'u)? Thank you, miss."
So you could buy a fig for two chips. And figs were a delicacy that would make an inn maid happy. To each their own.
I ate my dinner and returned to my room. Nobody stole anything, thankfully. I conducted a few more experiments and read more on my history books until I fell asleep. And begone before I curse the bunch of you.