Delphi squirmed in her seat as she waited for a booth to open. The last few days had been hell for her, as her every movement was being watched over by the Kyrians. She couldn’t even get food without being watched over! Sure, she couldn’t see them, but that didn’t mean she was unaware of their presence! Thankfully, their gazes had lessened over the last few days, so with them moving back to their normal patrol, she should be able to start asking questions…
Hearing a faint chime from above, Delphi stood up before she approached the counter. The faceless sprite behind the counter tapped their papers together, and set a standard form aside before he looked up at her.
“Welcome to the Spirit Records department. How can I help you today?” the spirit asked, its monotonous voice somehow being flatter than its paperwork.
Delphi shook her head, then leaned over. “Yes, I’m looking for the paperwork for one of the recent transfers into Mugarde,” she asked, and pulled out a sheet of paper before she asked, “He’s a man named Troy, arrived about a month or two ago, appeared in the Flooded Coast area?”
The spirit nodded along to her request, then pulled out a collection of forms. “Noted,” it bluntly stated, and flipped through the files before it asked her, “Are you looking for a full review, or just a brief summary?”
“Just a brief review,” Delphi clarified, then paused as she thought it over, “Wait, how long will the full summary take?”
“The office-mandated deep records review requires a full audit of the department, which can take up to three weeks and locks the account down from general access until record gathering is complete,” the clerk seamlessly recited, “However, a base-level review only needs roughly a week to cover, assuming no anomalies or errors are found.”
Delphi winced at the delay, but the distinct presence of a Kyrian growing closer made it hard to really protest. “Fine, I’ll take the base review,” she relented, then took the offered forms. As she worked to fill the form out, she couldn’t help but wonder what the bastard was getting into. At this rate, that interloper was likely corrupting her champion, leading him astray with menial items like side-quests or teaching him unneeded skills. She could just see it now!
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A flurry of bolts shot across the beach, peppering the cluster of slimes with a rain of hardened wooden tips. While only a third hit the intended target, the volley was easily overboard for the quartet of wandering blobs.
Troy let out a whistle as the leftmost slime burbled out its insides, then gave Efficere a nod in respect. “Gotta give you props, you’re able to hit impossible shots with buckshot,” he complimented, then glanced over at the pile as he asked, “How do you manage it?”
“Honestly, it’s a mix of practice, careful handling, and a lot of experimenting with bundling,” Efficere admitted as she lowered the weapon. As she shouldered the weapon, she added, “When it comes to aiming multiple bolts in the same weapon, you gotta make sure they go in the same direction. Otherwise, it becomes a messed up scattering, instead of an accurate volley.”
Troy nodded along to her explanations, then crouched down on the dune before he slid down. “Yeah, that makes sense,” he commented, and as he stood back up, he added, “Still, wouldn’t it be better to use iron bolts, or even a bigger one?”
Efficere paused at the question, only to give him a deadpan look as she slid down next to him. “We’re hunting slimes,” she pointed out, “Why would I waste my good ammo if it gets dissolved by them?”
Troy raised a finger at the question, only to lower it when he thought it over. “That… makes more sense than it should,” he commented, and helped Efficere back up. When he noticed the deadpan look grow more jaded, he sputtered in shock before he exclaimed, “What, there’s skills that can create sinkholes, finger-sized tags that can hold vehicles, literal magic crystals that can transfer techniques. For all I know, iron can be grown like trees!”
“Actually, metal can be grown in trees, like bark,” Efficere chimed, “Granted, the method’s restricted to a select branch of dwarven nobility, so it’s rare to see them outside of protected orchards…” Her voice trailed off as Troy gave her a look, but as he turned to harvest the slimes, he swore he could hear a snicker from her.
As Troy began to pull the slimes into his Storage, the sound of rapid steps drew louder behind him. While the third slime was absorbed, he glanced back to find Alcydes rushing over to them. “Hey, Al, you manage to get the slimes downshore taken care of?” he commented, rustling the kid’s hair when he got close enough.
“Aye, the kid’s a real spitfire for huntin’,” Alonz wheezed as he stumbled over, “It was hard ta keep my eyes on him, but he managed to take down over thirty of them himself. Pretty sure that by sunset, we’ll have fifty apiece!” The elderly dwarf slumped over on a fallen trunk, and took in deep breaths as he added, “Lemme just get sum air first, then we can get the last twen’y or so…”
Troy glanced over at the dwarf in concern, but Alonz waved his concern off. “Relax, lad, I’m not keelin’ over here,” the dwarf dismissed, “I’m just not as young as I used to.” While Troy wasn’t happy at the comment, Alonz pulled a rock out of his boot before he stretched back up. “I know I haven’t kept meself in shape, but don’t underestimate me. Even with my shots being dulled, my platoon and I could shoot straight through elder wyverns!”
Troy bit back a snort at the comment, but paused when he recalled the crater the marksdwarf had made. “If you say so,” he eventually replied, and put his tag away as he looked around, “Still, it doesn’t look like there’s any more slimes around here. Wanna go further down the shore for the next batches?”
“Aye, might as well,” Alonz agreed, then glanced over at Troy hopefully, “Speaking of which, I don’t suppose you’re willin’ to give an old dwarf a quick ride to the next site, would ya?”
Troy snorted at that, but glanced over at Efficere and Alcydes before he pulled the tag back out. “Might as well,” he relented as he pulled it out, “It’d be quicker than just walking, given how far apart they are.” As the form of the ATV began to manifest, the man called out, “Hey, I’m going to drive Alonz over to the other side of the shore. Think you two can get over there safely?” Efficere looked apprehensive as she glanced over at the other side of the moor, but Alcydes waved the question away before darting over towards a crag.
With the two seeming to be agreeing, Troy hopped on the vehicle and turned the engine on. When Alonz slid on behind him, Troy was soon speeding down the sandy beaches. Thankfully, the weather had remained mild through the day, so the vehicle tore over the silt with ease. Troy kept glancing back as the distance between him and Alcydes grew, the only sign of the elfkin being flickers of his jacket…
“Not used to letting the kid hunt solo, huh?” Alonz suddenly asked.
Troy swerved at the question, narrowly avoiding a washed-up shell, before he chuckled nervously. “Yeah, it’s hard to get used to, really,” he admitted, looking down at the road as he drove along, “I mean, he’s honestly more experienced than me when it comes to hunting. But it doesn’t make it easier on me.”
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“Never does,” Alonz agreed, shaking his head slowly while Troy turned up the hill. With some slimes finally in sight, Troy finally slowed to a stop and hopped off. However, his appraisal was cut off when the dwarf suddenly asked, “Wait, why does he have more experience? Aren’t ya his older brother?”
Troy stumbled off the ATV at the question, barely catching himself before he fell face-first on the ground. “What? No, we’re not even related!” he protested as he stood back up. The man brushed his hands off on his jeans, then gave Alonz a look. “I just found the kid adventuring solo last month, and partnered up with him to keep him safe. Didn’t feel right to let him fight giant boars by himself.”
Alonz hummed at the answer, then suddenly gave Troy a stern look. “So, you’re only doing it to protect him, right?” the dwarf asked, his hand traveling down to the knife hanging on his belt.
Troy stared back in confusion, only to recoil in disgust when realization struck. “What? Hell no, I’m not interested in him that way!” he spat out, glaring at Alonz, “If I even saw someone looking at Al like that, I’d be turning them over to Chris Hansen and the police in a body bag!” After a few seconds of silence, Troy coughed into his hand and added, “Just to clarify, Chris Hansen was a hometown investigator best known for finding and arresting those kinds of… degenerates.”
“Nah, I got that much,” Alonz commented as he moved his hand over to his quiver, “Still, for ya to be takin’ care of the kid like that for little reason… Pretty rare to see that with folks.”
“Shouldn’t have to be,” Troy muttered to himself, and put the vehicle away. With the elder dwarf ready to fight, Troy pulled his spear out, then jogged over to the closest cluster of slimes. Thankfully, the shore was still pretty jagged, so he could pelt the slimes with shrapnel at a distance.
As he pulled the polearm back for another volley, the audible strain of a bowstring reached his ears. “Goin’ for that batch on the driftwood, lad,” Alonz called out, “This shot’s gonna send ‘em flyin’!” Troy looked over at the comment, and quickly glanced around for what Alonz meant. However, the question was soon answered when a withered log was shattered to pieces.
With splinters and slimes flying around, Troy cursed before he ran to the area. As three slimes landed nearby him, Troy winded up with the butt of his spear before he called out, “[Stony Hail!]” The tight-knit spray of shrapnel tore through the slimes, but the last slime avoided the attack. As it moved closer to them, Troy cursed before he finally slammed his speartip into the ground. “[Stony Hail]!” he repeated, and the slime was finally punctured.
However, rather than a direct spray, the shards flew around all over. Troy cursed when several jagged edges cut into his shirt, but looked at the slime in satisfaction. “Well, at least that’s another three down,” Troy muttered to himself, then looked at the cuts in disdain. The attack was good, but did it have to ruin his good shirt like this? The man pulled his sleeve back to check the gashes, but thankfully, the only tears were in the cloth. Even the magic bracelet was unmarred.
“Sorry about that, lad,” Alonz apologized as he walked over, “I meant to keep the damage to a minimum, but the wood must’ve been lighter than expected.” As Troy met the dwarf’s eyes though, the elder paused before locking his gaze on the bracelet. “Lad, where did you get the bracelet there?” Alonz suddenly asked, pointing at the iron artifact.
“This old piece?” Troy repeated, and held his wrist up before he half-heartedly answered, “Found this in an old desk my uncle used to own. Never knew where it came from, but it works well enough to protect the wrists, so…”
Troy shrugged dismissively, but the dwarf narrowed his eyes before he pointed at the bracelet. “Could I take a closer look at it?” Alonz bluntly asked. With the veteran dwarf mere feet away, Troy held the adorned arm up, but didn’t take it off. Beads of sweat ran down his neck as Alonz looked it over with a critical eye, worried that the dwarf might take it away. With how well-known dwarves were for hand-made crafts, would the dwarf take it if he thought it was bad enough?
Each hum of thought seemed to raise his anxiety, but eventually, the dwarf gave a final nod and stepped back. “Yep, that’s what I thought,” Alonz stated, “That’s a high-quality Porter’s Gauntlet you got there. Surprised it’s still in great shape, to be frank.”
While a part of Troy begged to tell Alonz he’s not Frank, he’s Troy, his anxiety shot his humor in the back, allowing his curiosity to take over. “Porter’s Gauntlets? Never heard of them,” he commented, and glanced at the bracelet with renewed interest.
Alonz sputtered at the comment, his beard flailing about with his headshakes, before he lowered his head. “Geez, kids these days really don’t know the good things,” he grumbled, and sat down, “In that case, let me tell you a bit about my old military days.”
While Troy kept glancing back at the stray slimes, Alonz coughed into his hands before he elaborated, “You see, back when I was servin’ in the Acer Cask, the mountains we were stationed at were wracked with frequent storms. So instead of supplyin’ us via caravans, the army used Porter’s Gauntlets to help bring everything over. All it takes is the user designating the ‘start’ and ‘exit’, and you’ve got a safe way to keep food coming in without fear of spoiling!”
Troy nodded along half-heartedly as he listened to Alonz’s explanation. He was surprised that it was so common, if Alonz knew it, but it didn’t help at all for how to use it. As he mulled over the dwarf’s words though, he paused as the last sentence finally passed through his mind. “Wait, how do you change the exits?” he asked aloud, his other hand coming over to touch the bracelet in curiosity, “It won’t break the connection, will it?”
“Nah, it ain’t that fickle,” Alonz shot down, idly scratching at his cheek as he did so, “They tend to work more like harp strings: So long as one end is still connected to a ‘node’, you can move the other end with little problem. Just wipe a little blood on the bracelet first, and you’ll set it in place.”
Troy let out a small hum in agreement, only for the sound of approaching footsteps to reach his ears. He glanced back to find Alcydes and Efficere’s improvements running over, the two having made surprising speed. While Alcydes hopped over a rocky outcrop like a squirrel, Troy hummed in thought before he asked Alonz, “Actually, could you watch them for a bit? I need to go take care of things at the camp Al and I set up.”
“Sure, I can do that,” Alonz agreed, then sat down on the rocks as he added, “Gives me time to look around for more targets, too.”
With the dwarf watching over the two, Troy pulled out his guild tag and was soon driving down the beachside back to the ramshackle shed. As he arrived at the broken building, Troy felt a bit of trepidation when he walked up to the door. While it was nice to know it was easy to do, the building didn’t have a long lifespan. The shack was already missing its roof, and as Troy watched, a seagull landed on a windowsill only for the section to collapse under it. While the explanation seemed straightforward, maybe he should try moving it from the other side first…
Troy felt the faint breeze of air conditioning hit him as he returned back to Earth, and carefully closed the bathroom door behind him before his sense of balance had an epilepsy. With how the portal worked, he didn’t wanna stick it on a door that someone might use often, like the front door or the garage. Only question was, where should he stick it?
After looking around, Troy eventually approached the closet door across from the basement, and looked at the bracelet with concern. It was hard to tell exactly where to rub the blood, but if he remembered correctly, it should only take a little blood. With the bracelet-wearing hand on the door, Troy pulled out a boxcutter and cut his pinky on the sharpened edge. Droplets of blood quickly began to form on the cut, and he dropped the weapon to firmly press the cut over the bracelet.
Troy held his breath as he waited for something, anything to happen. After several seconds of silence, he was surprised when the green screen of his menu popped up:
[Door Reset] in Progress
Please Select Which
Entrance to Move:
<{ Door: ~4 Mg. Away
Door }>: `@*%# Mg. Away
Troy let out a breath at the simple answer, and pressed down on the first option. At least it was easy to set, unlike finding his magic from Yvalyn’s instructions. When the screen vanished, he opened the door and found himself back on the beach like he had intended. With the path now reset on Earth’s side, Troy closed the door and got ready to rejoin the others. Granted, the shack’s door still managed to work as a door, but given how a stiff breeze likely could break the door down, it didn’t mean that it could keep being used as one!