“Traveler!”

“Mm.”

I took a puff off of my cigarette as the driver rushed over to me.

“Fantastic work! Never have I seen a swordsman move so swiftly,”

“Mm.”

I took another drag.

“Was that mana, traveler? I’ve heard stories, but have never met a wielder of it,”

Mana?

“No. What’s mana?”

I put out my cigarette and turned towards the driver.

“You don’t know, traveler?”

He looked surprised.

“Enlighten me.”

Quickly, he started talking, telling me stories about the few but powerful men that wielded the bizarre force that was mana.

Soon enough, the fire was reignited, and the talkative driver was seated next to me. He told me of a powerful caste of soldiers, famous throughout the kingdom. These soldiers were solely possessors of mana. Supposedly, these soldiers, all in servitude to the king of Stonewall, were each as strong as five men. The driver also told me stories of mercenaries and gladiators, legendary for their inhuman strength.

According to the driver, some were even said to be able to wield their weapons to cut through steel without so much as chipping the blade. And finally, he told me about the former hero of Stonewall, the knight who could cut down armies. His strength was only known in rumors, but it was said that he was closer to being an army himself rather than a single man.

I listened as he talked, and he talked until he eventually fell asleep before the fire.

Of course, I didn’t sleep that night.

I hadn’t truly slept in years, unless you count a few seconds of being dead, aside from a couple of blackouts from getting my shit beat in by Kenji. Now, with power in my body supplementing my stamina, sleep was unnecessary. Not that I would be able to, regardless. I was still too uncomfortable in this unusual world to get any sort of real rest.

Being awake meant that I was alert and ready. Being asleep meant I could be killed before I even noticed my attacker. The choice was obvious, but I did miss the sensation of hazily drifting off. I smoked the remainder of the night away.

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The rest of the trip went without a hitch. Before long, I could see a town over the horizon. And then, a few hours later, the driver and I parted ways. I had stepped into Pinehurst. It was a very large town, full of busy, bustling people. Once again, I was struck with a wave of discomfort.

This was not a place where I was meant to be. The sounds of horses hooves tapping the stone beneath them, vendors shouting from stalls, and hundreds of jumbled voices had all assaulted my ears from the moment I’d entered the city. Now what?

I had no goal in mind, other than killing my elusive target. I had no idea who it was, what they looked like, or if they were even human. And now I was in a town, with no money to my name.

Ah, shit. What the fuck am I supposed to do now? Getting into civilization seemed like a good idea, but now…

First thing’s first, I needed money. I wandered around aimlessly for a while, trying to collect my thoughts amidst the noise and people. What could I even do for money here? Wash fucking dishes? I’m a god, for fuck’s sake!

I mean, there’s no chance there’d be a big sign that says,

“Hiring! Guy with sword!”

Right?

I could try to join the local military, but that seems tedious. Fuck, any job seems tedious, really. Am I just destined to work a 9-5, even in some shitty medieval world? I decided that really the only thing I could think to do was ask around.

“Excuse me,”

I approached a young guy who seemed to be a patrolling guard. He was wearing plate armor and carrying a spear.

He stopped and smiled at me.

“I need money, and I’m good with my sword. Do you know where I could find work?”

I asked. My expectations weren’t incredibly high.

“Ah! Well, the city guard won’t be able to take you, unfortunately, but there are always bounties to be fulfilled. I’m headed to the central post now. If you’d like to follow behind me, I can show you to the bounty board.”

Well, that was definitely a lot easier than I’d expected.

“Thank you.”

And so I followed the young guard back to the central post. Outside there was a wooden bulletin board, a number of posters with various faces on them nailed to it. The chipper guard wished me luck before walking towards the post.

I scanned over the posters before remembering an unfortunate detail. Even if my power could translate the words of others, I still didn’t know how to read. Shit, is there a preschool somewhere nearby? I might need to enroll.

“Um, sorry, one more thing,”

I called out to the guard who was halfway inside.

“Yes?”

He turned around in response.

“I can’t read. Can you help me?”

He walked over and asked which one I was interested in pursuing. I picked a random one.

“This one reads, ‘Gordon Babel’, and the bounty is two silver. He’s a defector to the crown, a spy for the Hero. He was supposedly seen in the Pinehurst woods a couple of days ago. He’s wanted alive. Will that be all?”

“Yes, thank you.”

At least I had work to do, now. The Pinehurst woods, though, seemed to be the woods that I’d just come from. Well… back out into the wild, I guess. This time, without the driver, it took me a full day just to get back to where we’d left the woods.