The banana pudding rush dissipated about as quickly as it had begun, and the trio decided to scout the city for food. Perhaps they could gain some familiarity with their current environment in the process.

"I don't know about this town," said Kermit, eyeing the crowds nervously. "How do we know we're safe?"

"Level zero's can't be harmed within the city of Cresthaven," Arlene said. "Remember?"

"Well," Andy said, talking quietly so as not to alert Kermit, "we don't exactly know what that means… Does it mean we can't be damaged, and if so, does that also mean that no one can cause us pain?"

Arlene stopped and thought for a moment.

"Why would that be the case? How could we feel pain if we can't be damaged?"

"I don't know," Andy said.

He reached down and pinched himself on the arm. It hurt… kinda.

"Can you slap me?" Andy asked.

"What?"

"We still have functioning nervous systems," he said. "We should still be careful, I think."

Kermit was staring at them now, looking blankly. Either the conversation went over his head, or he was truly scared now.

Arlene turned to him and bent down.

"Think of all the free food!" said Arlene.

Kermit's worry left him and he smiled warmly.

"I want steak and bacon," he said. "And eggs, too."

Andy smiled at Kermit's enthusiasm. He was almost envious of the kid's enthusiastic enjoyment of food.

"Sounds breakfast-y. So I guess we're looking for a brunch place?" Andy said.

"What's brunch?" asked Kermit.

"In between breakfast and lunch," said Andy, chuckling. "Fancy people like it. Let's look for a place with steak, bacon and eggs."

The group wandered a bit, keeping an eye out for promising establishments. The streets of Cresthaven were relatively cramped after millenia of development. It wasn't uncommon for crowded intersections to get into a jam.

A particularly nasty jam was clogging a five-way intersection ahead. Kermit was able to squeeze through them just fine. He was barely thicker than a twig, and he was motivated by the promise of a full plate of meat and eggs.

Arlene was more cautious.

"Excuse me," she said meekly, looking for an opening.

Upon seeing her discomfort, a townsperson in a tall, yellow hat yelled to disperse the crowd.

"Hey, we got people comin' through, come on!" he yelled. "Sorry about them, miss, a bunch of rude folk."

Arlene thanked the townsman and moved forward through the path that he had cleared.

Then the jam started right back up.

Andy got caught in it and was pushed backward.

Then a hulking figure rounded the corner ahead, standing head, shoulder, and chest above the sea of people.

It was probably not a giant, his features were not dramatically different enough from the typical Cresthaven to suggest that, and though the commoners made way for him, out of either fear or respect, no one sounded any kind of alarm.

No, he was a Cresthavener too, but he was built different. He wore thick, dark armor of some kind of leather, though he didn't seem like he needed it. He had to have over four-hundred pounds of sheer muscle, and his skin was leathery and thick.

As he came into view, Andy noticed that the man's massive brown and gray beard was decorated with not-quite-human skulls.

An orc or goblin slayer, perhaps? Andy thought, searching his memory for any fantasy references that may have helped him make sense of the man's occupation.

The yellow-hatted man, not seeing the hulking figure approaching from behind, raised his hands and began yelling again.

"Come on, move! We can't have all of you clogging up the streets!"

The people did move, but not because of the man in the yellow hat. They began to clear away, looking with concern at the hulking man before diverting their eyes.

"So you're finally listening to me now, huh?" said the yellow-hatted man. Then he turned around.

"Oh!" he said, attempting to move out of the way to let the large man pass.

The hulking man frowned, making the blue lines painted on his forehead wrinkle, and slowly turned toward the townsperson.

"What'd you say to me?" the hulking man said. He pulled a massive axe from his back. "Nobody tells me what to do. Ever."

"Oh, oh, I didn't mean you mister Gar sir," the yellow-hatted man said. "I was only trying to clear the area so we could all have a place to walk. This intersection gets crowded you kno–"

"You tell me to move?" the giant man said, tightening his grip on his axe.

Whoever this giant was, he couldn't be truly offended at a simple misunderstanding. He was more like a cat playing with its food; striking terror into a defenseless person for mere amusement.

"Stop it," a voice said. It belonged to Arlene, who stepped up to the massive man. "He was just trying to help," she said.

Andy tried to keep the crowd at his back from moving further. Several gasps and hushed whispers echoed through the growing crowd of onlookers.

"What did she say?" a woman asked.

"Does she have a death wish?" a man said.

"This isn't going to go well," a young girl said.

"Shhhh don't speak now, honey," came her parent's forceful reply.

The giant man inspected Arlene, clearly not used to being challenged by random people on the streets of Cresthaven.

"Do you know who I am, princess?" the hulking man seethed in disbelief, beginning to heave rapidly.

He held his axe with both hands. Perhaps he was restraining himself. Perhaps he was preparing to strike.

"No," said Arlene, "but frankly, you're being a major asshole right now."

The man began to laugh, his armor jangling as his belly convulsed, as more whispers and gasps echoed through the surrounding crowd.

"No," he said. "No you don't know." Then he drew in a big breath and lifted his axe.

Arlene instinctively brought her arms above her head, but she did not move.

"I'M GAR THE TERRIBLE!" his scream resounded as he brought his axe down.

It caught the edge of a piece of stonework, pulverizing it and kicking up thick dust before coming down onto Arlene's hands and head. Arlene's screams were agonizing, gut-wrenching, for only a split second, before things went completely silent.

"Arlene!" Andy screamed. He ran toward her, straining to see through the dust.

Gar lifted his heavy axe again, eager to cleave into her.

"Don't you dare!" Andy shouted as he instinctively leapt to intercept the axe-blow with his own body.

Time began to move slowly again, just like when he had been crushed by the piano. He saw the parabolic trajectory of his body. He saw the axe coming down, and he knew that it would get him, probably in the neck or chest.

He'd been told that he wouldn't be damaged, but this was probably about to hurt. A lot.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

In fact, Andy considered as he dove, the inability to die might even be worse. He could be in excruciating pain without end… Or was that just his anxiety talking?

He was dissociating now. Even though intellectually he knew he wasn't going to die, his body still responded as if he was in mortal danger. The possibility of immense pain was enough to cause temporary dissociation.

Time slowed further. He began to contemplate the last few days, how he had felt like he was finally on the edge of discovering how to live with purpose, with joy, with an identity and a passion that he could be unashamed of.

And here he was, throwing himself under a barbarian's axe.

But somehow he felt good about it.

Then Andy realized: I chose to do this, he thought. I didn't have to think about it. I just did it. And it feels right, even if I get hurt.

In fact, it felt more than right. Andy's chest began to swell with a fullness, a serenity, a calm. It felt like a puzzle piece had been snapped into place and now the whole picture made sense.

Choice makes you powerful, and good choices, heroic choices, give you peace of mind, even in situations with grave consequences.

Especially in situations with grave consequences.

The serene feeling wasn't so much about Arlene in particular. Of course Andy had gotten to know her casually over the last day or so, and he really did like her. But the feeling he had was deeper than that.

It was a feeling of pride in being a protector, in taking action against a bully.

It was a pride that came from asserting that an assault on one person's dignity is an assault on everyone's dignity.

He pictured himself as a child, drawing those heroes in the library. He realized he was emulating them. He felt his purpose click. He felt the world make sense. He welled with pride and gratitude.

The axe made contact with Andy's collar bone.

To Andy's surprise, it bounced right off. No pain at all.

Then Andy fell to the ground, which did hurt quite a bit.

"Argh!" the burly man spat in frustration.

The dust grew thinner.

"I'm actually fine," Arlene said as the dust cleared. She stood unharmed, if a little dusty. She looked at her hands in awe.

Gar made a grunt, "Damn level zeros," he said under his breath. "I haven't had to deal with your kind in ages. Wait until you hit level one," he said, staring down Arlene, then Andy. "Cross me again and you're done."

Gar stormed off, shoving his way past the crowd with his massive shoulders.

"Are you ok?" Kermit said, rushing over.

"I'm fine," said Andy, climbing to his feet.

"Me too," said Arlene.

"That was stupid," said Kermit. "You can't pick fights with guys that big!"

"I was pretty sure I was right about feeling pain amd taking damage," Arlene said.

"You were pretty sure?" Andy said, a bit frustrated.

"Glad I was right," Arlene said.

Andy stood up and shook off the dust and dirt from his tunic.

The group turned to continue down the corridor.

"Wait," said Arlene, putting her hand on Andy's shoulder. "Thank you… for doing that for me."

Andy paused for a moment.

"All I knew is I wanted to do something to stop him. I wanted to protect you." He felt his face grow red, his words felt too confessional, and too territorial.

Arlene smiled and squeezed his shoulder before letting it go.

"That's sweet," she said. She smiled.

Kermit shook his head as he continued forward.

"You shouldn't be so reckless," he said. "Come on, we need to eat."

***

The restaurant scene in Cresthaven was nothing short of spectacular. Some foods, clearly native, struck Andy as bizarre or exotic. There seemed to be lots of fish-based dishes and various forms of rice bowls not unlike the food Rowan had prepared upon their arrival, as well as an overrepresentation of stuffed dates.

But every once in a while, there would be a restaurant that was clearly meant to appeal to otherworlders. One such example was "Ultimate Pete's Zah," which sported signage depicting a warrior eating a slice of pizza.

"What do you think?" Andy asked.

Both Andy and Arlene looked to Kermit, who clearly had the most investment in food.

"We already had pizza today," Kermit said, "and I'm not sure if I trust someone named Ultimate Pete… let's keep moving."

The group kept strolling until they found a small hole in the wall called "Grimy Grubb's Meat Hut" that had meat and eggs on the menu.

It was little more than a large wood oven, a boiling cauldron, some counter space, and some tables. There were a few patrons at the counter, but the tables were empty. The group sat themselves.

A sweaty, plump dwarf in an old, stained apron came over to their table and raised a small pad of paper and a fountain pen.

"What'll you have," he said in a gruff voice.

"Do you have a menu?" Arlene asked.

"No," said the dwarf.

"I want steak, eggs, and bacon," said Kermit.

The dwarf nodded and looked at Arlene.

"I'll have the same."

The dwarf nodded and looked at Andy.

"Can I have pancakes?," said Andy

"What's that?" said the dwarf.

"Pancakes, like little fluffy, I don't know, bread? What actually are pancakes?"

"Don't got any pancakes," the dwarf responded tersely.

"What about toast?"

The dwarf shook his head.

"Sausage?"

"We got sausage," said the dwarf. "Good choice."

The dwarf waddled back behind the counter and began preparing the meats.

"That was wild, huh?" Andy said. "That Gar guy."

"Yeah," said Kermit. "He was really scary…"

"He's just a bully," said Arlene. "Maybe one day we can kick his ass."

"What do you mean?" Kermit asked. "He was so strong, we wouldn't stand a chance. Did you see him?"

"We wouldn't stand a chance now," said Arlene. "But it seems like we'll have access to some pretty awesome powers pretty quickly.

Andy reached into his pocket and produced his envelope with the papers, opening it.

"Level zero feats," he began reading.

He skimmed to find some of the more impressive ones.

"Ah, here we go," Andy continued. "Fluid strike is a monk feat at level zero… and some other classes get wallop… favored weapon… righteous wrath. I don't know, it seems like we'll be able to hold our own soon enough."

Arlene and Kermit produced their own packets and began skimming them.

"Oh," said Arlene. "Oh, we definitely will. Look at these synergies."

"Synergies?" Andy asked. He hadn't seen that word mentioned anywhere.

"Synergy, it's like when a combination is more than the sum of its parts… like the feats can play off each other," said Arlene.

Andy hadn't considered synergy, but now that she mentioned it, it made sense. Some feats might combine really well together.

"Yeah I think we can kick Gar's ass soon enough," said Arlene with a confident smile.

Arlene had spoken that last part a bit too loudly.

A patron at the counter turned around, a woman with short, blonde hair and a very practical-looking suit of leather armor.

She had a decorative patch sewed on each shoulder: what looked like the skull of a hippopotamus.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but what did I overhear?" he said.

Arlene froze; so did Kermit.

"We're just learning about feats," said Andy. "Nothing to worry about."

"Ah, so you're new arrivals then? Otherworlders?"

Andy nodded.

"Well, then what I am about to say is all the more important… in my time, I've seen quite a few new arrivals. I've seen some excel and become important leaders. I've seen others fall flat as soon as they hit level one."

There was a long, awkward pause. Andy felt a lecture coming on.

"Did I hear you say you wanted to get into a fight with Gar?" the woman asked.

Nobody responded.

"That's what I thought. It's ill-advised," she said. "Let's say you fought him. Most likely you would be pulverized in battle. If you survived, that'd be worse. He'd make an example of you. And, even if you gained dozens of levels and fought him after you were more prepared… Even then, if you were to defeat him, there's a hundred just like him in his guild. It'd be nothing but petty vengeance."

"What guild? Do they run the town or something?" Andy asked. "Why are they allowed to be so… terrible?"

"Well, first off," the woman began, "They are not simply terrible. Gar is the leader of the berserker guild, and as much as they can be pains in the ass, they are crucial to defending Cresthaven in times of war."

"Wait," Kermit said. "He's a good guy?"

The woman failed to hold back the shadow of a smile.

"No, he's not a good guy," she said. "He's a terrible guy. But he's a useful guy, and he's a better ally than he is an enemy. Don't let your ideals be too rigid, and don't rush into anything stupid. That's not how you succeed here."

"But he's a tyrant," Andy shot back with confidence that surprised even him.

"Perhaps," said the woman. "But I suggest you take some time to learn more about this place before you go making enemies. In fact, if they're still running things like they have in the past, you're going to need to work with all the guildmasters. Gar included."

"Oh…" Arlene began, trailing off.

Shit, Andy finished her sentence in his head.

The woman stood up and placed a few coins on the counter.

"Thank you, Grubb," she said to the dwarf.

The dwarf nodded and grunted with gratitude as he cracked some eggs on a pan and placed them in the oven with a huge pile of sausage, steak, and bacon.

"Don't let me spoil your fun," she said. "But do be cautious. Play it smart. Be humble. Be open to learn."

She knocked on the table twice and walked out the door without waiting for a response.

"Huh," said Arlene. "Maybe we have to wait a while… but I still want to kick his ass someday."