"We'll always have time for the town," Flavius objected. Then he looked at us with bewilderment and continued in a raised tone, "Isn't anyone else but me keen to discuss all the shit happening to us?! Just yesterday, I was at the university taking a physics exam, and today I'm already hacking my way through crowds of some bluish caricatures of humans with this axe," he nodded towards the weapon in his hand, "And before that, I was running from a horrifying monster in a skyscraper that was collapsing right under my feet! What?!! Am I the only one who finds all this, to put it mildly... strange?"

I barely concealed a smile at these words. In the last cycle, it was I who made a similar speech, even more hysterically.

No objections followed his words, and we settled on the grass to discuss what was happening. More accurately, I listened more, playing the part of a silent type. As expected, I didn't learn anything new from these conversations. Except, I now understood my new companions much better. However, since I wasn't planning to stay in this company for more than a couple of days, this information wasn't crucial. Still, knowing that Ilona prefers to hide in danger, and Flavius, on the contrary, confronts his fear almost without thinking, could be helpful in the future. So, I listened to my involuntary companions quite attentively.

We shared how the past tasks went, all the while unanimously and without prior agreement, omitting what happened during the first group test. On the other hand, the cave test was discussed in all its details.

We didn't discuss the "magic training" provided to us either; that experience was too personal to share with others. As far as I know, each of us has passed through something unique. I was gathering myself from particles floating in the streams of Spirit and Magic. Arien, on the other hand, according to her words, was painting herself with an invisible brush using colorless ink on a nonexistent canvas. I can't even imagine what that was like, just as she couldn't understand what was happening to me, what it was like to be a point in boundless nothingness.

"I... I must be slow..." Ilona timidly raised her hand after each of us had finished our stories. "Am I the only one who doesn't understand what language we are speaking? Moreover, we understand each other without problems, even though we are definitely from different countries."

Of course, this question occurred to everyone, but only this girl voiced it. I knew the answer: we were speaking a universal language, introduced into Ain by Eyrat himself more than three thousand years ago. But such knowledge at this stage would have seemed suspicious to the others, so I just shrugged in silence.

"What's the difference?" Miranda scoffed. "Do we understand each other? Yes! And that's good. If we can understand the locals without a translator, that's even better!"

Yes, that's how I "remembered" it. This girl was one of those who cared about specific things and problems rather than abstract existential questions.

"I don't fully agree," Flavius objected. "The question is actually interesting. But right now, it is indeed unimportant."

"Getting to the city before sunset would be good," I said, standing up. "Or do we have any fans of sleeping under the open and unfamiliar sky among us? This moon overhead in the middle of the day is somehow bothering me."

"But not me," replied Flavius, looking up. "It's beautiful."

"Beautiful and useful," Ilona nodded, then quickly added, "You look up and immediately realize you're not on Earth. And... it really clears your mind."

"Rejoice!" Miranda laughed. "It means there's something to clear."

This simple and cheap joke brought sincere smiles to our faces, relieving the tension.

"What did that powerful otherworldly ass say?" the axe-wielding guy raised a finger. "Down to the brook and then along the slope?"

"Yep," Miranda nodded.

"Shall we go?" Flavius asked, glancing at everyone.

"Yep," I replied, mimicking the future elemental sorceress's intonation.

Ilona immediately giggled into her hand while Miranda pretended not to understand that she was being teased, or maybe she really didn't understand. Descending from the hill, we quickly found the brook the quester had mentioned. Quite wide, but still too small to be called a full-fledged river, one could jump across it with a running start if they wished.

"Oh! Look, fishies!" Ilona whispered loudly, peering into the swift water with a childlike delight.

"Trout," Flavius commented after a closer look. "Just regular brook trout." His shoulders noticeably relaxed. "That's reassuring because if the fish here resembles the familiar ones on Earth, then the rest won't be much different."

I wisely decided not to comment on these words, though my tongue was itching to speak out on the matter.

After a leisurely ten-minute walk, we caught sight of the sea. The calm and astonishingly blue expanse of water stretched to the horizon. No matter how much we peered, we couldn't spot a ship, boat, or even a small island.

"By the way, I've been thinking," Flavius said, tearing his gaze away from the sea and scratching his nape. "We probably shouldn't tell the locals that we're from another planet. Well... what if they misunderstand?"

"Misunderstand?" Miranda smirked. "You're an optimist, I see! We're lucky if they don't burn us at the stake or behead us after such revelations."

I could have reassured them on this matter, but of course, I did not. The knowledge that we came from another world is Sacred. You can shout about it as much as you want, even in the central town square of Deytran, and still, no one will understand you except for those who possess the same knowledge.

"I'm scared," Ilona cringed and lost her pace upon hearing Miranda's words. "Maybe we shouldn't go to the town. Maybe that guy in shorts was right to go the other way?"

"We're all scared," I encouraged her.

"Don't speak for me," Flavius smiled. "I'm fine."

"Are you joking or serious?" Miranda asked him.

"School, university, then a boring office job, day in and day out, month after month, year after year," the blond guy shrugged and switched his axe to the other shoulder. "Now that's scary." He paused for a bit before continuing. "The only thing that bugs me is that nothing is clear. That, yes, it's annoying. But otherwise... I've always felt that I was born at the wrong time."

"Born at the wrong time..." Miranda mocked him. "But you'll die at just the right time. The universe doesn't make mistakes there."

"You're feisty," the guy winked at the aspiring sorceress.

"Start getting handsy, and you'll get a staff between your eyes!" Miranda stepped away from him.

"I wasn't planning to," Flavius, blushing slightly, answered her too quickly and continued the descent.

If it weren't for Ilona, we would probably continue in silence, but the girl seemed too nervous and hence talked incessantly. It was kind of cute in its own way.

"A ship!" The healer suddenly exclaimed when no one was paying attention to her chatter anymore.

Indeed, a sailboat appeared from around the cape; leisurely turning, it was heading towards the sunset, moving away from the island where we were.

"A two-masted junk," Flavius observed, examining it.

"The sails are like butterfly wings, only colorless," Ilona marveled.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"That's normal for junks on Earth," the guy with the axe dismissed her words. "But the fact that this vessel, if I can see correctly from such a distance, is controlled with a steering oar says a lot."

"What does it say?" Miranda asked him.

"It says that they apparently have not yet invented the steering wheel and proper rudders here."

"But isn't a junk a modern ship? I've seen them in many movies about our time," the sorceress wondered sincerely.

"Oh!" Flavius rolled his eyes, hearing this question, but still answered. "Junks were known even before our era! You've also seen boats, but how long have they been known? Thousands of years. It's the same with junks."

"I see, understood," Miranda nodded. "You know a lot."

"Stick with me," the guy immediately puffed out his chest, "you won't get lost."

"I'll think about it," the sorceress shook her head.

The guy turned to me in a way that the girls couldn't see and winked. I didn't bother telling him he was wasting his time with Miranda, as she's not very interested in guys.

We hadn't even taken a hundred steps when we noticed some farming buildings on one of the gentle, hilly slopes. Since they were about two kilometers away, we couldn't make out much, but nevertheless, Flavius again drew a conclusion:

"As I thought, this world is far less technologically advanced than Earth. Look, there are no tractors or cars, no technology at all."

"Ha!" Miranda smirked. "To understand that, it was enough to see the weapons in the Arsenal. I very much doubt that a technologically advanced civilization uses copper and bronze spears, axes, and swords. The only question is, at what stage is this civilization? The Bronze Age, the Iron Age, or possibly the Middle Ages."

"I'm more interested in what the people look like here," Ilona sighed.

"If there are people living here at all, and not elves, dwarves, or possibly orcs, or those blue ones from the cave," the sorceress demonstrated her remarkable "optimism" again.

We saw the town, as the quester promised, quite soon. A very small settlement by Earth's standards, with about two hundred houses that stretched along the bank of a narrow stream, which flowed into a wide horseshoe-shaped bay. The town wasn't surrounded by walls or even a primitive palisade. My companions didn't pay attention to this detail, but for me, such nuance was very revealing. My neck even relaxed. Because if there are no walls or other protective structures, the island we found ourselves on is probably peaceful. Although there was some defense here, two towers made of limestone, they "guarded" the settlement from the sea. Apparently, the entire island is under one authority, and its inhabitants only fear attacks from outside. Moreover, if there are no walls, then people aren't afraid of Overflow. And that means that all the dungeons in the vicinity do not pose a threat to such a large settlement, which at first glance had about a thousand inhabitants. This was a good sign for our small group.

"The houses are mostly stone... made of limestone. Maximum two stories, but mostly one-story buildings," Flavius commented on what he saw. "The only street, which is also the embankment, seems to be paved with stone too."

"And? What does that tell us?" Miranda asked.

"I don't know," the guy shrugged in response. "The range is too wide, from ancient Greece to the late Middle Ages or even the Renaissance."

"There are no chimneys," Ilona chimed in. "Perhaps they have mild winters here."

Thanks to the memory of the future, of course, I knew much more than they did, but I was not going to tell or hint at anything.

The stream took a bend, and following its curve, we momentarily lost sight of the town as another hill obstructed our view. But by the time we circled the slope, we were already being met. On the other side of the stream stood a group of nine armed people. Five warriors, three mages, one healer, I automatically noted. Of these nine, three stood out especially, standing closest to us.

At the forefront of those who met me was a warrior in his wane, about fifty years old, with graying hair, half a head taller than me, and broad shoulders. His gear was polished to a shine: a sleeveless chainmail, but with large scales on the chest, two short swords on his belt. On his neck - a massive silver chain with the symbol of the Tunnellers' Guild and the Core symbol. This symbol is two-toned, steel with bronze. A step behind him, covering the leader, were two more, an archer in leather and a sorceress with a staff of ash. Both, judging by the symbol on their clothing, were of bronze rank. Behind this trio of confident fighters, in a loose formation, or rather a crowd, six more were huddled. If I understood correctly, these were local tunnellers who didn't even have a guild sign. What's good is that all the "welcoming party" had their weapons sheathed.

Judging by how Flavius and Miranda froze in shock and how Ilona squeaked and immediately hid behind the guy's back, it was better for me to take the lead.

"Greetings," I step forward, say hello, and formally nod lightly. "My name is Raven, and we are not enemies. We ended up in your lands accidentally and pose no threat."

To confirm my words, I give a mental command: "Core Visualization!" After that, I turn to the others and gesture for them to do the same. To my relief, they concur.

Seeing that we were of copper rank, the locals visibly relaxed. Three of the tunnellers even stopped hiding their smiles.

"Accidentally? Ended up?" The gray-haired yet sharp and strong warrior in chainmail squinted. He was the only one among the welcoming group who looked like a European; the rest resembled natives of Earth's Asia. "This week, five ships have docked at the island, and you were not on any of them."

"Magic." I spread my hands. "We ended up at the wrong time and the wrong place... And here we are."

If we approach the matter formally, I didn't really lie.

"All four of you?" The warrior's voice didn't lose its doubt, but he removed his palms from the hilts of his swords.

"There were five of us," I correct him. "But one of us got confused, panicked, and ran in the other direction. He, like us, poses no threat but may cause trouble out of fear. Can you tell us where we've ended up?"

Ignoring my question, the steel-ranked warrior said:

"And we should believe you?"

"No need to believe." I shrug. "Send a tracker, and he will confirm that our traces appeared as if out of thin air. That we did not come from the coast, did not secretly disembark from a ship."

"We'll check." The leader nodded and turned to the archer, who was standing still behind him. "Tuan, do it."

The archer bowed low and quickly moved in the direction we had come from.

"And where are you from?" The warrior asked a new question.

"The City of Seattle, County of Arizona," I gave the first thing that came to mind. "And if you've heard of our city, then you can tell us how to get back!" I deliberately added a bit of light hysteria to my words.

"Seattle?" The warrior said, scratching his cleanly shaven chin. "Never heard of it."

"That's a pity." Saying this, I dropped my shoulders and head as if his words greatly upset me. "Can you tell us where we've ended up?"

"Un Island, Bastarga Archipelago," the warrior gestured behind him, "Town of Unudo."

The fact that I received any response is already very good. As far as I remember the customs of the Eastern lands of Ain, this is indeed a good sign. However, the warrior still didn't introduce himself, and this was a worrying factor. Worrying - because even he alone would be enough to decimate the four of us without breaking a sweat. And no knowledge of the future would help me in case of such an attack. If he were bronze, perhaps I could have handled him, thanks to the surprise factor. But he had a steel symbol on his chest, which meant I had no chance in a fight against such an enemy. Not to mention the other locals, each of whom, I'm sure, could easily kill both the girls and Flavius.

"Thank you," I said. "But we don't know where your city is located in relation to our homeland. And none of us has ever heard of the Bastarga Archipelago until today." After saying this, I added, "May we sit?" Indicating a pile of rocks on our side about a hundred steps from the stream.

"You may," nodded the warrior, grinning with such a smile that chills to the bone.

Stepping back from the locals and sitting on the rocks, I relaxed a bit.

"What Seattle?!" Flavius hissed at me, covering his mouth with his hand. "What Arizona?!! Especially since Seattle is in Washington State!"

"Doesn't matter," I quietly dismissed his words. "It's obviously a planet, and the gravity is Earth-like, which means the size of the world of Ain is comparable to Earth's. I highly doubt anyone here knows all the cities and settlements of the planet. As for Seattle, I just said the first thing that came to mind."

"Raven's right," Miranda sided with me. "Besides, judging by the locals' reaction, it worked!"

"But Seattle in Arizona?!!" Flavius continued to express his indignation.

"I'll accept your complaints if you can show me on a map where the town of Ulan-Ude is located," I snapped back.

"I can't show it anywhere!.." The guy was outraged. "Because you just made up that name. Ulan-Ude! Do you really think anyone would believe in that?"

"Shut up," Miranda snapped at him. "There indeed is such a town!"

"Quiet!" Ilona whispered. "There's magic in this world - what if they can eavesdrop on everything we're saying?"

We remained silent for almost ten minutes before Ilona broke the silence:

"Yet, people are living in this world. That's good already!"

"But the way these people looked at us, I didn't like it," murmured the sorceress.

"They looked and look at us normally," Flavius objected to her. "We are strangers to them. And in all times, except perhaps the last couple of centuries, even on our Earth, a stranger at the doorstep was primarily associated with a threat."

"Did you notice the symbol on the chest of their leader?" I changed the topic of the conversation.

"Yes," Flavius nodded. "Apparently, the image of a Core of a characteristic color, on clothing or as a separate symbol, is something like a status indicator."

"It seems so," Miranda agreed with him.

"Steel and bronze, I wonder how cool that is?" Flavius mused aloud.

"I have a hunch that he alone is enough to handle all of us," I voiced the truth, masking it as a product of thought.

"I think Raven is right," the future sorceress supported me. "There is a real aura of danger around that grey-haired man."

So we sat, exchanging impressions and building theories until Tuan returned. The archer appeared from an entirely different side than we expected, approached the leader, and spent about three minutes explaining something to him. After that, the grey-haired warrior waved us over.

"My name is Ender. I am the sheriff of the town of Unudo," he introduced himself. "Tuan and Ximi are my assistants. We are always ready to help those who are in trouble. Of course, if those in trouble behave appropriately and have something to pay for their stay." Saying this, he surveyed us with a heavy gaze. Seeing my gesture - I patted my purse - the grey-haired man smiled, this time quite genuinely. "Welcome to the peaceful town of Unudo, travelers."