The next morning, Caine was awoken by someone quite literally breathing down his neck. His eyes opened to a wide-eyed Rinnleigh staring at him.

“Next time you do that, I’m stabbing you.”

“You said that the last three times, too. Nonexistence isn’t restricted to matter.”

“Stabbing isn’t restricted to feet.” He sat up in his bad as Rinnleigh pulled up a chair from the desk at the corner of the room. “What time is it, anyway? I didn’t even get the Experience notification yet.”

“A little before dawn, I think. I wanted to ask you a few things, if that’s alright with you.”

“Ugh. You saved my ass at the caravanserai, I owe you one. Shoot.”

“The expressions you use are quite strange. I’ve traveled the whole world, but I’ve never met anyone who talks like you do. I’d chalk it up to madness or eccentricity, but you just generally seem rather clueless.”

“Okay, ouch. You’re right, though. As ridiculous as I’m sure it sounds, I’m from another world. God, still sounds so stupid saying that out loud.”

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “No, that makes perfect sense. This world isn’t exactly what you’d call stable after all. Sometimes, people just fall in from other worlds.”

“I feel like there’s a bit more to it than that. Pass me that sack over there, would you?”

Caine rummaged through the sack and pulled the bronze amulet from the pockets of his jeans. “I found this, inside an envelope that said something like “A gift from your benefactor”.”

She took the amulet and turned it over in her hand a few times. “Interesting. The metal is nothing special, a Betlandian Amulet of Tongues. It’s something of a staple article of magical

equipment for any kind of traveler. No, the interesting part is the gemstone.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a monocle. As she put it on, the lens began to radiate darkness. “Stabilization runes. That settles it, then. You’ve been brought here, by unnatural means. Once you put on the amulet, it tethered you to this world, kept you stable.”

She removed the monocle and put it back in her pocket. “But that still doesn’t explain how you were able to pick up Bloodmagic Skills. You can’t get a Skill unless you know about it.”

“The Amulet of Tongues is basically just an information storage device, right? So couldn’t knowledge of Skills be incorporated in there too?”

Rinnleigh thought about it for a second. “It’s a possibility, but an unlikely one. At that point, we’re working at scales only someone like my father would have any idea about. He works in Brury, actually. I’ll have to ask him about this when we get there.”

She got up and placed the chair back where it was. “For now though, I’ll let you get some sleep. Sorry to bother you so early.”

Caine smiled. “Don’t fret it. You’ve saved my life twice now, it’s the least I can do.”

“I didn’t really do much.”

“Even if we ignore the fact that the magical disguise you put on my lance and shield is the only reason I’ve even survived this long, getting Maven to shut up about me needing more “standard” gear alone is a godsend.”

“She’s really quite an interesting person. Now get some sleep, I don’t want you getting stabbed again.” Rinnleigh flicked her wrist and Caine was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

A couple of hours later, Caine was awoken by the Experience Gain Summary notification. He got up, grabbed his things, and headed downstairs where the rest of the traveling party was already enjoying a breakfast of steamed fish and something he could best describe as a yogurt milkshake.

Growing up in a place that saw most of its commerce from the ocean, Caine had fairly reasonable expectations for how vibrant and active a port would be, which was exactly why the almost fantastical amount of hustle and bustle took him by surprise.

The ships in port were almost completely hidden behind the massive market. Stalls were set up selling everything from food and clothing to exotic decorations and souvenirs.

Rinnleigh and Maven smiled as they watched him go wide-eyed at the scene before him.

“I remember the first time I came here. And the second. And the third. Blew half my pay in the market.”

“I’ll have to show you the markets of Yfiedge some time. You could fill a cart with souvenirs and still not have everything you wanted.”

Tsorvano handed each of them 5 small silver squares. “As a little extra gift from me for yesterday’s performance, go buy yourself something nice. Caine, take Rinnleigh and Maven with you if you want a fair price.”

Tsorvano disappeared into the crowd. Maven said, “I’m finding myself a new bow first and foremost, you two have fun.” She was out of sight before either of them could object.

“5 Silver, huh? That’s just enough for something that I’m rather fond of. Come on, we’ll go find you one too.” She grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him through the crowd. He barely maneuvered around all the other shoppers without bumping into them.

They stopped in front of a stall with an old woman writing something in different coloured ink onto rectangular strips of plain white paper. She gave a beaming smile as she saw the too and said, “Ah, the first customers of the day! Come, come. I’ve just finished a nice Smoke Talisman. 5 Silver apiece.”

Rinnleigh picked up one of the talismans. “Even I can’t make talismans this efficient! Next to no mageburn from activation. You could easily charge upwards of 7 Silver for these.”

The woman laughed. “If I had a copper for every time someone told me that, I’d have made half a day’s sales. I make talismans to share magic with those who aren’t naturally inclined towards it, and try to make enough money to lead a respectful life in the process. Nothing more.”

“Well then, don’t mind if I take that Smoke Talisman off your hands.” She placed 5 Silver on the counter and grabbed the talisman, carefully placing it in a leather pouch strapped to her thigh under her padded leather armour.

The woman looked at the masked lance and shield. “You’re a fighter, right? Any good with a gun or bow?”

“Uh, no. Not really. Well, maybe a gun, but the reloading takes uncomfortably long.”

“Well then, I’ve got just the thing for you. It’s one of my own creations, although I never bothered naming it.” She grabbed a talisman and handed it to him. “Grab a fistful of stones or perhaps a single rather large one and use the talisman on it. It’ll make it slightly less effective than a gun.”

Caine took the talisman but realized he had no idea how to actually use it. “Um...I’ve never used talismans before. I don’t really know how.”

Rinnleigh handed him another talisman and straightened up his arm in front of him. “Hold it like this, then channel a little bit of Mana into it. Should come as naturally to you as breathing.”

Caine imagined the mana flowing into the strip of paper and immediately it caught on fire. The text from the talisman was enlarged and floated in the air as blue light. “Try hitting it with your lance.”

The bloodlance struck it but found no purchase, almost as though it was hitting solid diamond. “That’s the power of a well-made Barrier Talisman for you. It can stop anything from a fist to a cannonball, and it won’t dispel until it’s been depleted completely.”

Caine’s eyes practically glowed with excitement. “I only have enough money for 3, but I’ll take the bullet talisman.”

Rinnleigh placed 4 Silver in front of the woman. “A pair of talisman holsters for the boy.” The old woman handed Caine a pair of leather holsters similar to Rinnleigh’s, which he strapped around his thighs.

He placed his own 5 Silver on the counter. “Hey, Rinnleigh, could I borrow 15 Silver? I’ll pay you back in a few days, I promise, but right now I really wanna get a few more of these.”

The old woman slid a small paper envelope over to him. “No need to borrow money. I told you, I do this to share magic with people. These old eyes see a lot more than you might think. There’s 20 of those talismans in here. You’ve got a lifetime to make up for, after all.”

Before he could thank the woman, the crowd swallowed both him and Rinnleigh and before he knew it they were both at the port with Tsorvano and Maven, who was sporting a new longbow.

“Ah, there you are! Good news. I’ve paid for a well-protected ferry to Brury. It leaves in a few minutes. I’ve already had your things and your horses loaded onto it. Come on then, no time to waste!”

Caine didn’t really know how, but a few minutes later he was aboard the ferry, which seemed to cater exclusively to a bourgeois clientele. Maven quickly blended herself in with the marines and porters while Caine admired the sail-less design.

“What’s the propulsion mechanism for this thing?”

Maven briefly popped her head out of the crowd, “Come to think of it, I’ve never actually been aboard one of these. I just escorted caravans into port and that was that.”

Rinnleigh moved towards the back of the ship, and gestured for them to follow. Looking over the back, he saw a small cubic protrusion.

“See that? There’s a handful of mages in there proficient in a very specific brand of Creation Magic. They use it to create water above the waterline of the ship. As it drops, the pressure pushes the ship forward. Since this is a passenger ship, the mages are probably specialists in rapid casting, although I’m admittedly unfamiliar with bourgeois eccentricity.”

Her suspiciouns were confirmed when the ship set off at a snail’s pace through the water. “Get comfortable, Caine. We’re gonna be aboard for some time.”

For the next few days, Caine devoured Rinnleigh’s textbooks, enjoying both the learning about the metaphysical side of his new world and the misconceptions about the natural sciences, but most of all the prospect of being the one to introduce the germ theory of disease.

One day, while he was on deck alternating between reading, avoiding eye contact with the other passengers, and glaring vitriolic daggers at anyone who sneered at him, he heard a cry ring out across the deck.

“All hands on deck! Corsairs, on the horizon!” The marines began running down to the armoury then back up to the deck with muskets and pikes in hand. The personal retinues of many of the passengers brought their own weapons to bear. Maven was already taking aim from the quarterdeck while Rinnleigh casually walked up to Caine.

“Corsairs, huh? We would’ve been able to outrun them if the sailors were fast, but their focus is on stability.” She pulled out a pair of talismans and said, “At least they’ll keep it steady while I aim.” She burnt one of the talismans, creating a sphere of ice in front of her. The second talisman broke it into pieces the size of a fist.

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“Don’t think you’re getting off easy, either. The marines and bodyguards are going to be shooting at the quarterdeck. Use those talismans to take out the gunners. Don’t worry about defense, I’ll put up a Nonexistence Shield while you fire.”

For the next two minutes, the entire ship was silent except for the occasional cry of indignation from the below-deck quarters. Three ships, one leading the charge and two hanging back. Both approached each other neck and neck, their lack of bow chasers making itself obvious.

For a moment, all was silent as both crews stared each other down. Then, in a single intense moment, smoke filled the air as muskets and cannons fired. Caine burnt his talisman and threw the chunk of ice through it, aimed at the waterline of the ship.

Cries of pain resounded through the air on both sides as numerous shots found their mark, as well as a few expletives as a cannon was ruined by a massive chunk of ice in the touch hole. One of the bullets almost managed to hit Caine in the shoulder, but was erased by Rinnleigh’s Shield.

Before a second volley could be fired, Caine noticed a row of crewmen on the other ship without weapons. As a precaution, Caine pulled out his knife and cut his hand, hoping the confusion of the battle would hide his strange act.

He was immediately grateful he’d done so when the unarmed crewmen blasted the ship with a volley of fireballs. Reflexively, he moved in front of Rinnleigh while activating Blooded Ward. His blood instantly evapourated, forming a layer of shimmering energy. The fireballs splattered against it, with a small amount being thrown back into the ocean.

Unfortunately, not everyone had been as lucky. More than half the fighting force was down for the count with severe burns. Even Caine lost a fair bit of HP.

“If they wanna play like that, fine. Time to show these amateurs what a real human rights violation looks like.” Even the unimaginable agony of the burns wasn’t enough to detract from the sight of a massive pair of flaming fists appearing out of thin air.

Caine took special care not to hit anyone directly as he lit the ship on fire. Even though the Skill only lasted 6 seconds, by the end of it the entire deck was aflame. The other two ships, seeing the biblical display, immediately retreated.

Caine took a brief glance at the “paltry” 535 Health he had remaining. “That ward better get more efficient as it levels.” He turned to ask Rinnleigh if she was alright, but got sidetracked by the rather pressing matter of everyone else on board staring at him.

“What the fuck was that?!” One of the marines fixed his bayonet.

Caine briefly contemplated lying. “Look, your big mouth – well, big shield and lance, actually – got you in trouble once. You already owe Rinnleigh too big, don’t make her clean up your mess again.”

“Magic.”

One of the private bodyguards, a bearded man in full plate armour looked at him suspiciously. “No, that wasn’t magic. Not regular magic, anyway. I’ve fought alongside mages before, and none of them have ever had anything that strong in their grimoires.”

Rinnleigh whispered to him, “Caine, these people are Adventurers. See that little bronze disk hanging from their necks? That’s their guild-issued badge. That means they’re all Awakened and at least Level 5.”

Caine opened his mouth to make a flaccid attempt at a convincing excuse but decided against it.

“You’re right. Not regular magic. It’s Bloodmagic.”

The sound of Rinnleigh’s hand hitting her face was heard down to the gun-deck. The sheer, unprecedented stupidity of the action gave everyone pause.

“And why exactly are you so openly telling us that?”

“Well, two reasons. Firstly, dumb, irrational pride. Secondly, you just saw me take out an entire ship in 11 seconds. If you’re still confident you can take me down, you’re welcome to die trying.”

All the Adventurers who weren’t shot, burnt, or both (numbering around 40) drew their weapons and turned to face the marines. The man in the armour said, “You’re lucky, kid. Beckett’s got a 10,000 Gold standing bounty out on a living Dobridian Bloodmage. Even split even 40 ways, that’s more than I make in a year.”

The marines knew how foolish it was to go up against 40 heavily armed people with an unbeatable financial incentive and superpowers, so they merely continued about their day pretending nothing had happened. The weapons then got turned on Caine. “Porter, get me a length of strong rope.”

Caine spent the rest of the trip in the gun-deck, tied up and under constant guard. Rinnleigh spent the time with him, reading to him and talking, and even Maven occasionally poked her head in to rant about the humidity ruining her bowstring or how much she missed dry land, plains, and being able to Windrun everywhere.

“Caine, you have to be probably the luckiest person I’ve ever met.”

He glared at Rinnleigh, who had changed into much looser woolen clothing after it had become clear that the Adventurers would guard them with their lives. “Rinnleigh, I haven’t seen the sun firsthand in 3 days and have to cut myself so I don’t have to take a shit.”

“Just about everything you’ve told me about what happened to you since you came here tells me the only reason you’re still alive is help from others and sheer dumb luck.”

“It’s a very backhanded kind of luck then, isn’t it? Though I do agree, I wouldn’t have made it this far without your help.”

Rinnleigh smiled. “Hey, no problem. I was angry when you pulled the stunt that landed us in this situation, but it’s turned out alright in the end. At least, you’re the only one who suffered the consequences and I get to be comfortable for a few days before I have to deal with the last 12 years and the far future.”

“You wanna talk about it? Or rant about it?”

“Right now, I don’t even wanna think about it.”

Brury wasn’t nearly as vibrant as Catry. If anything, it was the exact opposite, being strictly pragmatic and downright oppressive in its design. Thankfully, Caine didn’t get to spend very long looking around as he was manhandled out of the port and through the city gates.

As soon as they crossed the threshold, Caine was temporarily blinded, as though he’d stood up a little too fast. By the time he could see again, his little retinue seemed to have disappeared. Tsorvano stood in their place. “I’m afraid the contract doesn’t end until I am escorted to my destination.”

Reflexively, the three of them followed him through the streets without knowing why. They passed through the market and the residential district, and moved into the noble district of the city. All three of them felt a sudden pressure on their minds as they fell unconscious.

When they regained consciousness, they were tied to oak chairs in a conservatively lit room. In front of them stood Tsorvano, and behind him on a raised platform was a silhouette of a slender individual in loose robes.

“I apologize for my severity, but secrecy is of the utmost importance to my employer. I believe it is high time that the three of you received some more answers. Perhaps my full title will jog your memories. I am Tsorvano of Roses, Master Illusionist.”

As soon as he said his name, the pressure lifted from their minds. Neither Caine nor Maven gave any reaction to the revelation except assorted pained groans. Rinnleigh immediately started laughing.

“This is shaping up to be quite entertaining! I’m guessing your patron there is the Lady of the Red?”

The silhouette spoke up, “And how exactly do you happen to know that, Heir of the Black?”

“You and my father are the only two people who would even consider hiring that sly, cowardly bastard Tsorvano. I must say, you’ve got fantastic luck. Not only did you get your hands on an authentic Dobridian Bloodmage, you managed to bag your rival in the process.”

Flames flared up in the braziers, revealing the mysterious figure to be a woman in her 40s with a shock of bright red hair. “Do not dare disgrace the name of your father by calling yourself my rival! Know your place.”

Rinnleigh laughed again. “All this time spent in the capital has made you forget something very important. You’ve forgotten just how unstable our world really is. You’ve begun to perceive time as a linear sequence again. I unfortunately lack that luxury. From my perspective, I am already both your rival and your son’s.”

Caine and Maven looked at each other and nodded. Maven activated Oakbend and snapped the bindings around her hands and feet. At the same time, Caine finally bled enough after cutting the palm of his hand with his nails to be able to make a small dagger and cut his own bindings.

Maven Windran up to Tsorvano and swept her super-powered legs, knocking him to the floor with a nice crunch from his now-broken leg. Caine cut his hand with the dagger and quickly built a Bloodlance, then threw his dagger, which lodged itself in Tsorvano’s foot ,to free a hand and built a Bloodsteel Shield . Rinnleigh erased the ropes and stood up.

“You see, Lady of the Red, my friends and I take a rather more direct approach to matters than the incessant dallying of nobility. I expected a scholar like you to understand, but it seems I severely overestimated. Now, if you’ll just give us our things and the 50 Gold we were promised, we’ll be on our way.”

The braziers flared even brighter and the anger on the noblewoman’s face was plain to see. Nonetheless, she gestured, seemingly at thin air, and a group of attendants brought out their things, as well as coin-purses with 50 Gold each, which Rinnleigh took special care to count.

As the three of them began walking out the door, Rinnleigh stopped. “Oh, and one more thing. Do not dare disgrace the name of my father by calling yourself his rival. Know your place.”

As soon as they were out the door and a reasonable distance from the noblewoman’s estate, Caine and Maven both stopped dead in their tracks and looked at Rinnleigh. “You have got so much explaining to do.”

She laughed and said, “Why don’t I do it over a nice feast? The discovery of a Dobridian Bloodmage after a hundred years warrants one in and of itself. Combined with the fact that that scumbag Tsorvano won’t be walking for at least a month, it’d be criminal not to. Besides, it’ll give us a chance to ask my father some questions.”

“Just who the hell are you, and who is your father? And why does his self-proclaimed rival have the clout to throw around a guy who basically enslaved the three of us for a week without us knowing about it?”

“I’ll explain everything over dinner, now come on. We’ve got some things to take care of before then.”