There was something that was simply awe inspiring about stonework. Maybe it was the effort that needed to be made to carve and move the heavy building material, or the sight of an expertly crafted piece of stone sitting firm in defiance of all. Whatever it was, the city’s walls were truly a thing to behold as we approached along the main road.
There were a few guards standing in the gatehouse checking people as they entered under the portcullis. Being the king had certain privileges that afforded him an expedient entry through the gate with the added bonus of lingering individuals being ushered out of the way with calls of “Make way for the King!”
Now officially inside the city, my eyes grew large and began to wander like a star struck child. There were elves of every shape and size within the walls of the city. The main street was crowded with people and stalls that were selling all manner of goods to anyone who passed by. The barkers cried out to get the attention of the shoppers, filling the air with the busy noise of commerce.
My eyes wandered across the goods on display. There were a great many that sold the average things you might expect to find in a bustling marketplace such as food, tapestries, clothing, and pottery. Then there were the more exotic items like jewelry, crystals, glowing orbs that obviously contained magic of some sort, and contraptions that looked like a steampunk wizard did business around here. If I had any amount of money that was useable in this world I would have been lost in this market for the rest of the day.
The crowd parted before us as we trotted deeper into the city. The architecture we passed looked neat, clean, and superbly constructed to the point that it could have passed in my world. The city seemed to operate on a tiered levels system, with the houses closest to the wall being lower than the ones closer to the castle. The main road went uphill, and smaller side roads branched off from it in a circle that probably went all the way around the hill. There were flamboyant building designs as well that incorporated more fantasy elements such as crystals that were either a part of the structure itself or floated around it. Towers and spires made the occasional appearance, which in my own head canon betrayed the location of the wizards within the city.
There looked to be streetlamps along the roads that all had small crystals within the glass boxes. My curiosity was eating at me regarding all the crystals that I had seen, so I turned to the good captain for answers.
“What’s with all the crystals? What do they do?”
“You don’t have them where you come from? You’re further out in the frontier than I thought. The crystals absorb the ambient magical energy in the world and can be used to power certain constructs or serve specific purposes. Take the lamps for example, the crystals in the lamps are carved with runes that command them to release stored sunlight during the night to keep the streets lit. There are many other applications for the crystals that all depend on your creativity and command of magic.”
“I’m not too familiar with magic, how do you use it.”
“Really? I assumed you had exceptional command over healing magic to survive that Ulgor attack.”
“I... don’t really know. I wasn’t able to do anything like that before.” I had no idea what was happening to me, but it didn’t feel like I was in control of it. Someone did this to me, sent me here, and is keeping me alive.
“I see. Well, people are occasionally born with affinities towards certain types of magic. Aptitudes are usually measured once one turns twenty. If they show any inclination towards its use, they are then instructed at an academy that specializes in the correlating type. Healing magic is a particular rarity not only due to very few being born with affinity towards it, but because it requires immense amounts of energy in order to properly function. Most healers would lose consciousness after healing anything about as severe as a stab wound, so they make liberal use of crystals in their art to compensate.”
“So, you spend your own bodies energy to use magic?”
“Generally, yes, but the energy in crystals is a common substitute for most spellcasters to prevent exhaustion. The amount of damage you recovered from is quite frankly astounding. I have never heard of anything of the like happening before.”
Great, so I’m an oddity. Hopefully that doesn’t attract the wrong kind of attention. I didn’t know what to do with that information, so I filed it away under important stuff that should probably remembered for later. “Is there anyone who might know if something like this happened before?”
“Hmm, the royal libraries might have something recorded in their collection, but few are allowed inside, even fewer are allowed to read what's there, so that’s probably not going to help very much.”
“Right, well thanks for explaining things to me, I appreciate it.” The captain bobbed his head and hummed lightly in acknowledgment. We trotted down the main path further up the hill. There was an increase in the size of the buildings the further up the slope we progressed. We probably entered the merchant’s district or perhaps even the noble’s district if they had those. Along with the size the ornamentation of the buildings became increasingly complex. There were inlays in wood, carvings in stone, and gleaming metal accents of various materials.
The people going into and out of the buildings around us were dressed in sleek suits and fancy dresses with bright colorful frills. I could practically smell the entitlement of the people in this area as they walked with heads held high and the expectation that everyone would just move out of their way. Actually, that smell of entitlement was probably a perfume shop that catered to the snobby elites we passed. I found this area of the city distasteful and would much rather spend my time in the marketplace looking at all the interesting magical items therein, but it wasn’t up to me.
Further into the muck of high society we went. I really hoped that I wouldn’t be expected to play politics with the nobles while I was here. Small talk I could handle, but watching what was said to prevent insults would be a problem, particularly when I had no idea what their culture was like and what was deemed inappropriate. Man, I should really have practiced my poker face more.
We trotted by a building that looked a little like a church of some kind. It had many more spires than other buildings, large double doors, and panes of stained-glass windows depicting a couple of different holy figures. While most of the figures shown had some sort of defining characteristic or background that could be used to make an assumption about what they were worshipped for, there was one that lacked any of that. Whoever it was appeared to be vaguely female with a featureless face and large ring behind her. Her clothing was simplistic with a loose flowing robe that draped around her form. It was quite a major contradiction to the other deities who had shining armor and flamboyant gestures that radiated power.
It was an oddity, but there were more pressing matters to pay attention to at the moment as we were coming up on the interior walls that surrounded the castle on the hill. The gate to the castle was guarded by heavily armored knights who upon seeing the king called for the gate to be opened. A large unseen mechanism was activated which opened the portcullis with creaking sounds of metal and wood. With the gate now wide open, the caravan of horses continued onward into the inner cloister of the city.
Things inside the inner walls held a more regal and military appearance. There were banners flying along the path displaying the regular standards that the army used, arrow slits in walls and buildings were common, glass made an appearance in windows now, and everything looked like it was built to withstand a siege. If this was a tour back in my world, I would have been ecstatic about the chance to see the inside of an actual castle. As it was, I was nervous and wondering just what would be in store for me.
The train of horses came to a stop in the courtyard of the main keep. We all dismounted and I rubbed my butt a little to try to get some feeling back into it. I think I've had enough horseback riding to last me a long while. Doing a few more stretches to get the blood flowing, my gaze was cast around expectingly for something or someone to direct me to what was next.
A couple of attendants came out to take the horses away several at a time and King Alathos started talking with an immaculately dressed man who stood at attention in his presence. There were a few gestures made in my general direction before the, what I assumed to be, butler started walking towards me. The king went off in another direction talking with someone who was dressed in what looked like formal military attire.
The butler stopped in front of me. He had the looks of a well-aged man with the slight grey to his hair and wrinkles in certain parts of his face. He seemed very professional, and his movements had a practiced elegance to it that conveyed advanced training or years of service, maybe even both.
“Master James, is it?” the gentleman butler asked me.
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“Uhm, yes, what can I do for you?”
“It’s what I can do for you, sir. My lord Alathos has instructed me to escort you to the guest room and see that your needs are looked after. If you would kindly follow me sir, I will show you to your new lodgings.”
“Oh, okay, thanks.”
“Think nothing of it, sir, it is simply my job.” With that the butler turned and started leading me towards the entrance to the main building. The doors opened, and I was once again acting out the roll of the gaping mouthed child. It was everything you could want in a castle and more. Gilded tapestries hung from the walls, suits of armor stood on their displays, paintings of fantastic scenery and dramatic battles were there to be viewed, more of the crystal lanterns were spread out intermittingly, and old weapons adorned the walls in remembrance of their days in combat.
The furniture was that of rich wood sanded and polished to a shine. The floor was an off-white marble that was cleaned to the point of almost being reflective. Carpets were laid out along the floor in the halls that had expertly woven patterns and swirls in the design. The color scheme was different tones of white and grey. Looking up revealed a brass chandelier with more crystal lights carved and ready to illuminate the area come nightfall. I really wanted to see how the crystals looked when active and couldn’t wait for the fast-approaching night to come around.
“Sir, please do not tarry.” Looking towards his voice, the butler had progressed down the hall and left me gawking. “It would not do for us to be separated and for you to become lost.”
“Sorry, was just admiring the décor.” All it took was a light jog to catch up with my guide and we both continued deeper into the castle.
“I can understand admiring the beauty of the castle, but please do so while we move.”
I nodded to affirm understanding and kept looking around at everything on display. Everything here was lavish and fit for royalty, a far cry different from my little apartment that I knew and loved. It almost felt like there was too much space and that made things feel a little cold, like the building wanted to be filled with people but instead only had a handful to keep it warm at night. There was only a single noble that occupied the halls on the path that we took, which lent credence to that feeling of emptiness.
“Here we are sir.” The sound of the butler addressing me pulled me out of my admiration and observations of the area. He had stopped outside a door and was in the process of pushing it open before gesturing for me to come inside.
Once past the threshold of the doorway, I got my first look at the room that was apparently to be mine. It was a fairly large room, at least in my mind it was. There was plenty of space to move around in despite the furniture. The bed was approximately queen-sized with fluffy looking sheets and thick curtains that could be drawn around it. A fireplace at the end of the room across from the bed had a couple of armchairs around it just waiting for someone to take a seat and enjoy the warmth on a cold night. Another source of potential light was found in some more of the crystal lanterns on the walls. A medium-sized mirror leaned against the empty space of a corner, and a couple of thin, tall glass windows let the light into the room, each one had some shutters that could be closed to block the sun as desired.
The room was certainly impressive, it felt like a themed suite that would probably cost a lot of money to spend the night in back on earth. “If anything meets with your displeasure, please do not hesitate to voice them so they may be corrected, sir.”
“Everything looks fine for right now, thanks, uhm, sorry I didn’t catch your name.”
“It is Volks, sir.”
“Thank you Volks, the room looks great!”
“A pleasure to hear it, please relax to your heart’s content and if anything comes up that requires your attention, I will endeavor to inform you as soon as possible.”
“Understood, thanks again.” With a slight bow Volks left the room so he could most likely go about other duties. I dropped my old clothes that I had been carrying on the bed and regarded it for a second before deciding what to do.
Swan dive! leaping over the bed I flopped down on it with just a quiet puff sound. The bed was extremely soft, maybe a little too much for my taste. Rolling off the bed to stand again my gaze was drawn to the window. The sun was starting to move towards the horizon, but it wasn’t quite at the twilight hour yet.
I quickly ran into the same problem that I had back at the camp, boredom. While the room was nice, it still lacked a form of entertainment to keep me busy while waiting. Perhaps going on a little hunt through the room for anything interesting could help pass the time. Maybe I could find some sort of secret passage that would take me to a treasure room. Unlikely, but a guy can dream, can’t he?
Poking and prodding my way around the room in search of some secret lever or loose stone switch all in an effort to kill some time. Thankfully, I am easily entertained, so even something that was slightly childish like this could preoccupy my time. While in the middle of inspecting the fireplace for any secret contraptions the door opened again. It was Volks, looking just as professional as usual.
“Sir, would you mind if I took your measurements?” The butler produced a length of measuring tape.
“I guess I don’t mind, but could you tell me what for?”
“It is so we might fit you with a suit that is the proper size.”
“Wait, you're making me a suit?”
“I am afraid we do not have the time to make a custom suit for you, we will instead pull from our stores the closest match to your measurements.”
“Okay, but what do I need a suit for?”
“His majesty King Alathos has extended an invitation for you to attend a party in celebration of his recent victory. It would not do for you to be underdressed for this occasion sir.”
“Well, measure away then.” Volks walked over and instructed me to hold my arms out to the side. Once I had assumed my T-pose position, Volks started the process of measuring various parts of my body. I’d never been in for a suit fitting before, so this was a new experience to check off the to do list.
After each of my body parts was thoroughly measured Volks excused himself to pick out a suit that would be an approximate fit for me. It was maybe ten minutes before he returned, bearing three different suits. Each suit was very angular in the shoulders and followed a similar design, solid color base with embroidery that runs from the neck down to the base of the suit. There was black with silver embroidery, dark blue with gold, and white with gold.
The goal was to not stick out too much so the white one was immediately discarded as a possibility, leaving only the other two darker options. In the end it was decided that the dark blue one was best and opted for that. It came with a white undershirt, black boots, and pants that matched in color. Volks helped me get dressed and figure out all the laces that came with the clothes until I was properly dressed up. We went to the mirror to see how it all came together, and I had to say, it was pretty sharp looking.
“Excellent sir, you look rather dashing. The party will begin at sundown so please make yourself comfortable until it is time.”
Volks turned on his heels and left the room in an almost gliding manner. The light outside had begun to turn orange as the twilight hour set in, the party wasn’t that far off. Having a moment alone to look at myself dressed up in formal attire brought me back to the insane reality of what was happening. My head was spinning. So much had happened and it had hardly been a day. This world was practically upside down when compared to mine and I was now expected to attend a party that would probably be extremely political in nature.
The weight of the thoughts made me sit down in one of the chairs by the fireplace so I wouldn’t collapse. Taking a few shaky breaths, I attempted to talk myself down from the brink of a panic attack. My mind was split into two warring factions. One side was screaming out for answers, why was I here, what was happening, why was I attending a party when there was the problem of finding a way home? The other side was trying to calm the raging tide of questions by claiming that it would be alright, and that answers would come as soon as I made some friends who could give them. It was almost like an internal conversation was being had.
What do you mean friends? You're a nobody in this world, hell you were a nobody in our world too. What makes you think a king would associate with you beyond just an idle curiosity?
Idle curiosity doesn’t put you in a castle and a nice suit, he obviously is interested in us, and we should capitalize on that.
And how do we do that? We don’t even know how we got here or what is happening to us. What happens when the king finds out that we have no answers to his questions, or that we aren’t even one of his citizens? We made it this far with everyone assuming that we were just a random citizen from some village that probably doesn’t even have a name.
What would you have us do? Lay down and die without so much as trying to find a way out of here? In case you didn’t notice, the question of our mortality is rather up in the air at the moment so taking the easy way out is probably not an option.
That’s another thing! How did we come back to life? Are we immortal now? Does that mean we will live forever or just not die of injuries?
If you want answers, we need friends who can give them. So shut up and play nice until we find a way home.
A forlorn sigh escaped me, making me sink into the chair. There were so many questions up in the air, and my own sanity was on the brink of collapse from the weight of them all. After some deep breaths I gave myself a few words of encouragement. Okay, you can do this. Just hang out around the edge of the party, blend into the crowd, and for the love of God don’t open your damn mouth unless absolutely necessary.
The evening light had given its final farewell for the day before the world outside was cast into the darkness of night. Shortly after the last bit of light disappeared the crystals started to activate, casting a harsh white glow everywhere like some sort of magical fluorescent lightbulb. The crystal shimmered and refracted rainbows within itself, but none of that colorful light escaped leaving only the white glow. It was beautiful, it was... well for lack of a better term, magical.
The door to my room opened again and Volks was there just inside the room. “Sir, the guests for the party have started to arrive so you may make your way to the ballroom to attend now.”
I got up from the chair, straightened out my suit a little, and started following Volks out into the hall. My heart was racing as he led the way to the ballroom. I had never been to a party like this before. My only experience had been a standard college party with loud music and cheap alcohol flowing like rivers. This one probably wouldn’t be comparable.
We rounded the corner and came upon an open set of double doors with the sounds of a crowd of people pouring out. Taking one last deep breath before stepping into the doorway, I froze. There had to have been over a hundred people all dressed in fancy clothes and jewelry. The way they held themselves with confidence that was probably born from being told they were better than everyone else made the nervous pit in my stomach expand. A figurative ocean of wealth and class disparity was laid out before me while I was in the equivalent of a lifeboat drifting along through it.
I am so screwed.