The winter temperatures and winds created bitter conditions for traveling in the northern plains where the small town of Frellon was nestled. The long route to the center of town from the small homesteads and farms scattered across the region limited its visitors, especially at night. The handful of shops and homes in town were prepared for winter with wooden shutters over their windows and stacked firewood behind each structure. These preparations and poor visibility prevented the few awake residents from noticing a small flash of bright light at the center of the town. From the light, a young and bewildered human appeared and his adventure was set to begin.

---

Nick generally considered himself known for an easy going attitude and thick mop of brown hair that he rarely kept styled. He was never an over achiever but was ambitious even as a twenty-one year old college student from upstate New York. He already had big plans to make his way in the world as a business advisor and entrepreneur. Unfortunately, his plans started with an overpriced degree and a low paid job at a small local hardware store.

Nick found the job rewarding in its own way, despite always working the closing shift alone, he enjoyed having the place to himself and made friends with a few of the customers that stopped by regularly. It wasn’t unusual to only have a handful of customers in the evenings during the weekdays though so on a chilly Wednesday night in October he wasn’t surprised to find himself alone in the shop ten minutes before closing time.

Nick drummed his fingers on the counter while watching the clock tick down over the back wall. There wasn’t much left to do after taking care of his normal checklist earlier in the evening and he was thinking about checking the parking lot for any stragglers looking to make a quick purchase before locking up. As the thought crossed his mind, the front bell rang and he glanced over and found an unusual sight. A figure dressed in a shimmering and flowing golden cloak stepped into the store. The figure slowly lifted its arms before pulling back the cloak’s hood covering its face.

The lowered hood revealed a breathtaking woman. She had flawless skin with strong cheekbones and eyes that shimmered between gold and silver in the dim fluorescent light that buzzed overhead. Nick opened his mouth to speak but found his breath caught in his throat. The woman glided toward the counter with a smirk that seemed anything but innocent, making Nick gulp nervously.

She gracefully approached and spoke with a commanding voice but it had a soothing tone causing Nick to slightly relax in her presence.

“I’m honored to finally meet you young human. I’ve been waiting for my next champion for far too long and fate finally led me to you. Fate is such a fickle thing at times but it seems there is something special about you.”

She took one finger with a perfectly manicured nail and ran it down Nick’s cheek. Her stare bore into him as if she could see right into his soul. Nick tried to speak but could only eek out a short gasp. There was an unseen pressure pulling down on him and an aura hung about the woman that made the entire room shrink until all he could see was her face framed in perfectly curled shoulder length blonde hair.

“Now now..no reason to be nervous. I won’t keep you long, but I must make proper introductions and give you a little bit of a nudge in the right direction. Only the best for my champion.”

She removed her finger and leaned back before continuing, “I am Hez, goddess of traders and merchants, but not of this world. I am only here in spirit to guide you back to my world as my new champion. It is a common enough occurrence for us gods to have a little bit of influence over our world after all. And I must say, you have so much potential.”

Nick’s eyes bulged and he could suddenly feel her overwhelming presence even more clearly.

“Don’t be frightened, I think you may find my world more suitable to your ambitions than your own. I am allowed one gift as part of the transition. A bit of muddling with the odds if you will and I think you will just love it. It will serve you well with the right application after all.”

Her voice was ringing in Nick’s ears as she leaned down toward his frozen body and delicately kissed his cheek. It was only the slightest whisper of a kiss but Nick’s body ignited from the contact. He instantly felt energy spike through his body as if he was struck by lightning.

“You will discover my gift soon enough. Learn what you can of my world and its potential will be clear. Alas, I can’t give you anymore information. Pesky rules as they are, but know my allies and I will be watching and will push fate where we can to help. You must gain power and wealth before I can interact directly with you. Good luck my champion. On Proelium you will need it.”

The goddesses’ last sentence hung in the air and as she lifted her delicate hand, a flash of light consumed Nick before he disappeared from Earth as if he never existed.

—

Nick reappeared in a flash of light and staggered disorientedly before collapsing to the ground onto his butt. The ground was frigid and immediately seeped through his jeans. He was momentarily stunned at the sudden change in scenery and the rapid temperature change. It was far colder than he was prepared to handle in his early fall attire. A breath escaped his lungs in a cloud and he darted his head back and forth in disbelief as he stood up to get his bearings and escape the frigid hard ground. He could feel there were rough cobblestones under him and spotted squat wooden buildings casting shadows in the distance.

The night was dark and cloudy and the only light was coming from a structure of seamless white stone that reached three stories at its peak. The light reminded Nick of hazy moonlight as it radiated from the entire structure. He had appeared a few steps away from a small entrance to the structure with a set of shimmering doors that drew his attention.

Nick hesitantly stepped forward as if drawn to the light cast from the structure. He reached forward and as his fingertips made contact with the set of doors they smoothly opened without a sound. As he stepped past the threshold, his vision blurred briefly before he found himself in a brightly lit room that had a large holographic screen hovering right at eye level. There was no sensation to the transition and looking around he found only four blank seamless white stone walls and the strange hovering screen. The entire ceiling was illuminated with the same hazy moonlight glow he’d found on the exterior walls of the building. It was hard to discern the height but it was a dozen meters at least.

As he glanced around, his attention was drawn back by some movement in front of him and he noticed text rapidly scrolling across the screen.

New scan initiated…

Asset not found…

New registration initiated…

Complete registration with Frellon station?

[Yes] and [No] appeared on the screen and an option for each began flashing within arms reach. Nick took a deep breath and felt the sting of the much warmer air hit his lungs. A wave of anxiety hit him like a truck as his brain began to catch up to the situation at hand.

He couldn’t think of any logical explanation for what was happening unless he was under some powerful drugs. He had been teleported by a goddess to a different world to be her champion and everything else was a mystery to him. He took another deep breath and thought through the interaction to try and piece together some further explanation. None of it made sense to him and he had no idea what it meant to register. He stared ahead in shock for a solid minute to try and let his brain process what was happening. Even after a minute, it still made no sense to him and he was struggling to keep his roiling emotions in check.

Nick continued his deep breaths and tried to focus only on his breathing. It was a meditation technique he had learned as a kid and used in times when he found himself overwhelmed. One breath in and one breath out, he repeated to himself mentally. Nick knew he had to calm down in order to process everything happening. Nick had a hard time believing Hez, a supposed goddess, was real and he was supposed to be her champion. It sounded like some sort of fantasy story to him.

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Nick hesitated slightly in his deep breathing while trying to calm his racing thoughts remembering the gift Hez mentioned. He suddenly felt a jolt in his left hand pushing him toward the hovering text for [Yes]. His mind was beginning to slow from his racing thoughts and he realized he didn’t see any other way forward. The room he found himself in had no doors and the sensation he felt in his hand felt natural in an odd way, like it was the right choice in that moment. He took one more breath focusing on the decision in front of him. One step at a time. That became his motto, to calm the storm of emotions raging.

He tapped [Yes] by instinct at the encouragement of the sensation he had been feeling and the screen’s text began scrolling again.

Registering…

Active skill [Identify] added.

Class generation initiated…

Recommended class [Merchant] identified.

The screen flickered another message and another prompt.

Accept recommended class [Merchant]?

He selected the [Yes] option again with the same familiar instinct as the same sensation returned to his hand.

[Merchant] class assigned.

Skill generation initiated...

Active skill [Personal Station] added.

Registration complete.

As soon as the text finished scrolling, Nick found himself back outside the doorway he’d entered and was standing in the chilly night air. He stood shocked for a moment before a gruff voice called out to him and shook him from his momentary stupor.

“Welcome to Frellon stranger. Aye, a bit late for a station run though.”

Nick turned to see a stout man with salt and pepper hair wearing a thick hide coat holding a flickering lantern.

"Station run…?" Nick responded with uncertainty.

"Aye, what else would you be doing? You merchants are always a bit eclectic I suppose. I'm heading to the tavern for a night cap, come join me and get out of the cold. I wouldn't mind hearing talk from the latest towns you've visited."

Nick stared uncomfortably long at the man before another chill ran down his spine due to the frigid night air, reminding him of the vulnerable situation he was in. The man didn't stick around for a response and turned away. Nick jogged to catch up to him and followed a few steps behind as he crossed a packed dirt road and approached one of the larger buildings in view. The building was sealed up from the cold but light peeked out around the doorway and the shutters covering the windows. Nick began to hear conversation from inside as he approached.

The man pushed open the heavy wooden door and light and a warm rush of air spilled out onto the street.

Nick entered closely behind the man and pulled the door shut behind him. He found himself in a tavern right out of a medieval town from the movies and TV shows he’d watched. His eyes lit up in surprise as he scanned the room and caught sight of a dark green skinned hulking creature sipping on a mug at the bar.

Nick glanced around the rest of the main room and realized that wasn't the only oddity. There was a stout and short woman behind the bar that could only be a dwarf from the story books he read as a kid and a trio of light orange skinned creatures with floppy ears chatting in the corner. Nick gaped at the sight in disbelief.

He didn’t know why he was so surprised considering his last few minutes were spent meeting a goddess and apparently being teleported to another world.

“Of course there would be other races.”, Nick mumbled to himself.

Nick continued mentally reminding himself to focus on breathing to prevent himself from being overwhelmed by anxiety.

After snuffing out his lantern and hanging his jacket on a thick iron hook, the man Nick followed inside turned to address him. He saw Nick’s shocked look and cleared his throat to get his attention.

"So what brings you to Frellon this late in the season? I can't remember the last time a merchant was in these parts at this time of year."

Nick was at a loss for words. He panicked as he tried to figure out what to tell the man. He considered telling the truth and informing the older man, who appeared human as far as he could tell, he had no idea where he was or how he got there or… he could try to make up something to fit in. Lying seemed stupidly risky to Nick, but he had no idea how the man would react to his bombshell of being from another world. One step at a time Nick reminded himself before he decided on a half truth.

"Yeah, I seem to have gotten lost during my travels and stumbled across this town by mistake." Nick said awkwardly and not particularly convincingly.

The man initially responded by looking over his attire of blue jeans, flannel shirt, and boots suspiciously. Nick didn’t take it as a great sign.

"Lost, aye. Seems hard to believe you would stumble across our little town. Why don't we grab a drink and you can tell me a little more about where you were heading?" he asked.

Nick fumbled, unsure for a moment how to respond. "Uhh.. Yeah sure. A drink can't hurt."

The man pointed toward a table on the far wall away from the other patrons then turned to the bar and approached the bartender with the steps of a regular. In no time, he had two frothy mugs and Nick was at a table across from him looking down at a thick wooden table stained and scratched from years of abuse.

"Alright kid, I'm Frederick Gristal. I consider myself a bit of a peacemaker for our town and it seems you might make a mess here so let's get one thing straight. We don't want any trouble. We are simple farmers for the most part, providing our goods to support the war efforts like the rest of the Dillid Plains. If you and whoever you are traveling with need food or drink that is all we have to offer in these parts."

Nick released a breath he didn't know he had been holding and realized he desperately needed an ally above all else in that moment. To Nick it seemed Frederick wanted to avoid trouble. That was what Nick wanted as well and it was possible Frederick could provide some answers about what happened to him. He seemed friendly and frankly Nick had no other ideas on what to do.

"Trust me I don't want any trouble either and I'm not here with anyone. I'm Nick Solis and I truly am lost. I don't know how to explain how that happened," Nick said carefully.

Frederick took a long draw from his mug before he replied.

"You say you can't explain how you were lost. Did ya come through the station network? I saw ya near there but it's unusual for any locals to be bringing over new folks, let alone in the middle of the night."

Nick decided he needed to rip the band-aid and said, "I don't even know what you mean by statio network nor how I got here."

Frederick's eyes widened a bit at the statement and he glanced around before speaking in a hushed tone.

"The stations are known by all. You have a class so you must know about them. Are you saying you aren't from Proelium?"

Nick lowered his eyes while taking in all the information. Getting confirmation he was not on Earth anymore was slightly shocking even though it was already obvious. It was almost too hard to believe but the abundance of evidence including what could only be described as an orc sitting at the bar across the room from him made it hard to question.

"I'm not from here wherever here is", Nick whispered.

Nick grabbed the mug and took a gulp of drink offered to him to help calm his nerves. Nick was surprised at the rich taste and smooth finish. It was better than all the craft beers Nick had over the years from the microbreweries that seemingly popped up all over town. He took solace in at least finding one good thing about whatever world he was in. They knew how to make some good beer.

"Unbelievable. So the rumors were true. Travelers from other realms are whispered every decade or two but they have never been proven."

Frederick trailed off with his last words, taking a big swig of his beer instead. He seemed a bit rattled by the revelation.

Nick gave him time to process the information and nursed his beer. The drink helped warm him up slightly and the familiar taste helped his anxiety more than he expected.

"I don't know much of why I was sent here. Something about fate."

Frederick looked up and met Nick’s eyes at the mention of fate. He stared at him for a few long seconds before nodding to himself as if he came to some internal decision.

"Listen Nick, let's get ya back to my place and we can talk without others overhearing. I may have little to gain from knowing about the existence of a traveler like yourself but the same can't be said for others and with the outfit you have on let's just say it didn't take much to convince me you aren't a local."

Nick took that as his que to shut his trap and they took a few minutes to finish our drinks in silence before departing back into the frigid weather. Nick didn't miss Frederick's earlier mention of war and it was obvious to him the world wasn't going to be all sunshine and rainbows. He would need to be cautious. ‘One step at a time’, rang in his head as he headed into the dark night toward the outskirts of town.