image [https://cdn.midjourney.com/f232fd55-85dd-4262-942f-7a6bf2f192fe/0_3.png]

"Hey!" Jorge waved his left arm, his right hand fumbling with the wires.

"What the fuck is that?" Vincent repeated.

"It's for—"

"We don't have time for this," Irene tapped the tip of her boot on the pavement. "Vincent, do you want to stay here or not?"

"Sorry?"

"Those who decide to stay will send a short video home," she pointed to an improvised canvas booth. "Three people are about to leave: the driver, a dancer, and an exobiologist. We'll use them as messengers. I promised them my parents would pay them," she whispered.

"Why is an exobiologist leaving? Isn't this supposed to be their best dream come true?" Vincent asked.

"It is if you report your findings. This will change Earth's science forever. Never mind," Irene raised her voice. "Are you staying or not?"

"Did everybody reach level ten?" Jong asked. "I'm still nine."

"No, only the hunting team and a couple more. There were tons of spiders…" Irene sighed. Her hair was messy and full of cobwebs, making Vincent divert his gaze. "But the rest of us decided to stay nevertheless. I made a list."

"I'm staying," Jong said, running toward the booth.

"And you?" Irene asked, looking into Vincent's eyes. He could read her thoughts without any telepathy or empathy. A part of her wished Vincent out of the way to take back control of what she considered her group. But another part wanted him to stay. He was reliable, had saved their lives, and was the only one with military training.

"…I might stay…" Vincent sighed after a brief pause.

Irene exhaled a long breath of relief. He avoided her eyes because, in truth, he thought the Realm could get on fine without his help. The group, however… Enthused, they ran all over the place with wide eyes and agitation all over their faces. The image of the dead Mongol appeared in his mind… He knew for sure few of the youngsters there would be able with a reality in which killing came so easily.

"Hurry. Record your message," Irene flickered Vincent's forehead as he stared into nothingness.

Pulled back to reality, he forwarded her the horse's reins. "Hold this for five minutes, please."

"A cub!" Irene exclaimed, ignoring the horse but noticing the little tiger and snatching it up. The cub awoke from its sleep and growled in displeasure. "So cuuuute!" A choir of ecstatic Ahs! circled the square when others noticed the animal.

“It’s sick. Someone should take it to a veterinarian,” Vincent said.

“I’ll try a cleansing spell,” Ayman appeared, taking the cub in his arms.

Vincent entered the booth, sitting on a stool before a smartphone mounted on a tripod. A small light blinked. "You can start," someone outside said. "Say the name, address, and phone number of those you want to send the message to."

Vincent spoke the names of his parents and their phone numbers, then started his message. "Mom, Dad, you won't believe it, but I swear it’s true: My group and I were transported through a portal to a parallel Earth. There are elves and magic here… and it's nice, but I don't know if…" he choked, "I will be able to call back any time soon. They're… very young… and lack practical skills… I think I'll stay here and help them…" he avoided the word 'survive.' That's all… Take care," Vincent ended the recording abruptly, trying to control his tears. Stepping outside, he found the crowd started to disperse, some entering the Town Hall.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"The mayor is giving a reception in our honor," Irene beamed. "He's happy so many of us want to stay, and we're making this town our base… We are, right?" she searched for his eyes with a sheepish grin, remembering he was the Guild's leader.

"There are minerals in the mountains nearby. All we need for developing a real industry," Jorge rushed to say.

"We'll move our base to Pragwyn," Vincent said deadpanned.

Irene frowned. "But I promised—"

"A Mongol raider attacked us; he might have been a scout for a larger force," Vincent said curtly. "That's his horse."

"You were attacked?" she widened her eyes, then opened her mouth to say something but snapped it shut.

Vincent knew what she wanted to ask. "I had no choice; it was him or us. This town is not equipped for a siege."

"But the peeps kinda like it here," she sulked.

Imposing his will was one way forward, but Vincent knew a group's dynamics are better when people's opinions matter. "OK. We stay here for now, but Jorge searches for Mongol troops every morning and evening. We talk again about our options if they show within a day's marching distance."

"Count on me, man," Jorge said.

"Fuck…" Irene wailed. "I really don't want to go to Pragwyn… there are politicians there… nobles… they'll try to attract us in their schemes… I made a few inquiries and—"

"We'll figure it out," he squeezed her forearm. "You were saying about a party?"

"In the city hall," she said with absent eyes, most likely thinking about his words.

"I'll leave the horse at the inn and join you.” Maybe, he added in thought.

A team was dismantling the array of cables and devices. Vincent gave them a nod as he passed by. The inn had a stable, and the horse accepted its new home with the same placidity shown beforehand, munching on a pile of hey. With the animal out of the way, he deposited the loot in an annex, went to his room to pick new clothes, showered, and returned to the room, throwing himself on the bed, eyes at the ceiling.

Was the decision to stay impulsive? Instinctive? He has not accepted a class yet, so he had second thoughts about changing his mind and going home… The kids were legally adults, after all… The way the thought came sent a lump through his throat… To chase his worries away, he opened the messages waiting for his attention, starting with the ones related to the Guild.

Your Guild has reached 62 members. You are now leading 57 Summoned and 5 locals. Nine Summoned have reached the level required to choose a class.

The notification continued with a list of the locals enrolled: the Blacksmith, the Alchemist, a Healer, and his two apprentices. The next page contained the names of the people who reached level ten and the classes they had chosen. He and Irene still held on to the class. The rest have various things, but Technomancer and Enchanter were the majority. The older Filipino, Hari, has evolved his species into a Spriggan, and his class was Forest Ranger.

"You can change your race?" Vincent gasped.

FAQ: Can you change your race?

Answer: For hyper-achiever Summoned reaching the tenth level within a week and achieving feats of valor, a species promotion is possible. If you are one of those fortunate enough to be awarded such an advancement, you will have that option when you choose your class. High-tier classes and species have access to special perks depending on the class and species.

If you select the above option, please ensure you have a few free hours at your disposal and are alone in an enclosed and safe space (aka room).

I might give it a try… if I decide to stay.

Changing his mind, he decided to go to the party. Vincent was the last to arrive, but there were local volunteers at the entrance who showed him to the ballroom. There was music, and the dancer who stayed behind performed on a stage. Her slightly immature teenage attitude had changed into a composed professional, pirouetting graciously. Vincent was not much into dance, but her prettiness and virtuosity were mesmerizing. She noticed his gaze and smiled at him.

After the performance ended, Vincent walked around, serving himself food and brandy. Eavesdropping here and there, he could hear plans about enhancing security, building a better road to Pragwyn, and various tech stuff he couldn't understand.

Meanwhile, Ayman showed the tiger cub around, bragging about how he had saved their life. Coincidentally or not, he was doing it in front of the town's prettiest girls. At some point, Ayman asked Vincent to join him in an adjacent room and injected him with a serum made from spider and snake parts that conferred a mild degree of resistance to poison and plus one in the Body stats.

When evening arrived, and he returned to the inn, Vincent asked Lukas to have the room for the night, and Lukas obliged. It was finally time for Vincent to decide if he wanted to stay.