After waking, I glanced at the clock on my screen; it read 26:15. I scowled at the time again, wondering how the locals deal with the long days.

After straightening and sorting all the tools on the work table, I absentmindedly headed back outside, wondering if I could jury rig a broom from some dry grass.

I walked around the cabin while cutting the small trees and shrubs away and pulling up the larger weeds when I noticed the group from earlier sitting around a small campfire.

Curious, I walked closer, ensuring to keep within the protection of the barrier. I stopped to listen when I got close enough to hear the conversation. Vince, whose face was a nice shade of purple and green, was telling the two others that they should never have started chasing a stranger through woods that they hadn't scouted previously.

Lutz spoke in a whiny voice that made me wince. "That bumpkin took our bounty; you saw the prompt telling us we failed the quest he owes us."

Milly sounded angry and annoyed when she spoke next. "That's not the worst part. If we don't bring back results this time, our mercenary license might get revoked. Vince, this isn't the time to play nice we need to bring that man in; maybe the guild master will give us another chance if we bring the one who caught the bounty; you know how he feels about outsiders getting in the way of his business."

Vince winced as he opened his swollen jaw, stopped, took a deep breath, and startled again. "I understand what you both are saying, but it's pointless to discuss this while he is behind that barrier. And even if he willingly came with us, which after that little fiasco yesterday is unlikely, he is a climber the boss can't touch him without good reason or risk severe punishment."

I sat against a tree nearby to listen while absentmindedly messing around with the crafting app. Although most of the conversation was about capturing me and taking me to the guild leader, I did catch some interesting tidbits about the region. Apparently, including the small village nearby that I still have not found, there is a small town less than a day's walk away. The two men and the redhead were a small party belonging to a medium-sized mercenary group based in the nearby city.

By the time I had made a few designs for cleaning tools on my phone, the band of mercenaries had begun setting out some bedrolls. Soon the tall whiny voice man walked to a nearby tree, and after placing his hand on the trunk and muttering something, there was a flash of color, and the small clearing vanished, looking like any other piece of the forest.

I slowly stood while shaking my head. 'Really, now I wasn't even trying to hide, and these guys never noticed me sitting here' "I wonder if it has anything to do with my stealth skill. Maybe there is a passive attribute to the skill as well." 'Or possibly they noticed me from the beginning and acted as though I wasn't there, hoping I might make a mistake and step outside the barrier. Shrugging, I took one last look in their direction before heading back toward the tower and my cabin. 'They talk big, but I don't feel they are bad people. I'll watch them longer before deciding what to do about this situation. I certainly have no intention of staying cooped up in this bubble forever."

A few hours later, I stood back in satisfaction at the clean cabin. Everything was in its place, including the new broom, mop, and duster. With nothing better to do and not feeling remotely tired, I wandered back out toward the section of barrier my pursuers had made their camp. When I arrived, I found the redhead leaning against a tree with a shoot of grass between her teeth, watching my every move with narrowed and bored eyes. I waved as I sat in my earlier spot and took out my phone.

Time passed by as the redhead stared at me, and I tapped at my phone screen. I discovered a notepad app in the store and spent a silver on it. I thought keeping notes on all the strange things happening around me in this bizarre new world would be a good idea.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

I could see the girl getting antsy from the corner of my eye, and the corner of my lip quirked up slightly. 'Almost time, it would seem. No matter what world it is, women can't stand to be ignored. Especially an attractive teenager; okay, that's not fair teenage boys are just as bad. It's not till later in life that men are perfectly happy to be ignored.

Finally, the girl couldn't help herself. "Are you seriously going to sit there and pretend I'm not here? And what are you doing anyway?"

Letting out a small chuckle while smiling slightly, I slowly and dramatically put my phone in my pocket. "We'll Miss. Millefiore, what can I do for you on this lovely day?" I was about to say morning, but I am uncertain if it is morning or afternoon or if those concepts even matter here in this strange world.

I watched as her stern expression nearly broke, and the tips of her ears turned slightly pink. She caught herself and stood straight while giving what I assume she thought was an aggressive expression. Although on the outside, I kept my, as I call it, my grown-up face that I learned from watching my dad deal with Mom, crooked politicians, and corporate hotshots. On the inside, I laughed at this girl's cute expressions. This child would be eaten alive if she tried to join a corporation, not that any company would hire someone this young unless they were family.

Deciding it best not to tease the teenage girl, I narrowed my eyes while staring directly into hers without saying anything. Eventually, I noticed that her hands began to twitch slightly, and a bead of sweat slowly slid down the side of her head. Without any inflection, I spoke. "I ask again, Miss. Millefiore, what can I do for you? I won't ask again. "

Noticing the change in my tone, the girl flinched slightly but stopped taking a step back. I was impressed, but I didn't show anything on my face. It's hard for a young girl to stand up to an adult male, much more so for a man of my stature. Her hand twitched as if to grab an arrow from the quiver at her waist, but she managed to stop herself by sliding it into her pocket and feigning a relaxed posture. This time I did slip up slightly, letting my lips tick somewhat, but she didn't notice as she had glanced off to the right for a mere instant as if making sure someone was still there.

Without moving my eyes, I began to speak again. "Vince. Perhaps you could answer my question. " then I turned my head slightly upwards, staring at a spot on a nearby tree; there was nothing there as far as the eye could see. But I had a gut feeling; something just felt off about the spot. "Or perhaps you, Lutz, would care to come down and have a civilized conversation, hmm?"

A moment later, the spot I was staring at shimmered, and a gangly teenager with too long hair appeared crouched on a branch. If I am not mistaken, he looked confused and a tad scared. I stared him in the eyes for a long moment, and when he gave a small shudder, I looked away at some movement to the girl's right. Vince stepped out from behind a tree, rubbing his hair with a hand behind his head. The look on his face reminded me of a puppy caught doing something bad. Suddenly I felt like a man bullying children. This made no sense, considering I could tell that they had strength. Not enough individually to face me; however, put together, the most I could do was escape.

I waited for them to decide on a course of action; while watching them, they seemed to have some way to communicate with small gestures and facial ticks, which must have taken a long time to work out. They must have been together for a very long time to be able to communicate in such a way without ever making a sound. "Impressive," I said too quietly for any of them to hear.

They seemed to come to some decision because of Red. I mean, Milly stepped forward, nose and chin slightly upturned in what I assume they thought was imperious. I waited for her to speak with one eyebrow raised somewhat in amusement, not even trying to hide my mirth any longer. My attitude seemed to annoy both Red and the string bean because they grit their teeth with a look that screamed, " I am better than you, and you should know it, peasant, " in their eyes. Deciding I had enough, I turned from them both and looked straight at Vince, giving up on having a constructive conversation with the other two.

Red seemed to take offense, but as she began to open her mouth, I held up a hand, never taking my eyes from Vince's. "You come with me, and we can talk in my cabin." Vince's mouth hung open in shock; before he could react, he noticed Milly and Lutz were about to explode in a fury. Vince quickly waved them down and faced me with a look of surprise and suspicion.

I turned with one last look back. "Come or not, it's up to you. I can stay here indefinitely. Can the three of you say the same?" With that, I casually began the short track back to my cabin. 'I wonder if I have anything to serve a guest? I haven't felt thirsty or hungry since arriving but what about the locals? I assume they eat since Red has that rabbit hanging from her belt. Well, I suppose I can give him some of the potions from the dungeon fountain if he wants a drink. That could also be amusing.