This day was getting better and better. Dante spilled the coins onto his palm and counted them. Three silverish and seventeen greenish ones. Each had the same stamped-out circular shape with a medium-sized hole in the middle, but had different designs on each side. On both, one side had the side profiles of various faces, likely famous faces, along the edge. There were eight in total. None looked familiar, although he noticed that the number of men and women was equivalent. Which was different than the ratio he had observed — Perhaps the military was considered a woman's profession? The ‘tail’ side differed between them. The green coin had the three-eyed symbol which he was sure was this nation's emblem while the silver one had a map. He raised it to his eye, eager to see what the world looked like.

It was difficult to make out, as the stamping seemed to be crude, but it looked like a country that was shaped like a diamond on its side. There was an ocean to the south, a mountain range to the north, and a kidney-shaped lake in the center which the punched hole sat neatly within. There was one river that split the nation in half and a small eye icon along its bank where it intersected with the ocean. If I had to guess, that would be the capital. This will be useful information for when I get out of here, though I have no idea if the distances are correct. Or where I am on it for that matter.

He titled the coin in his hand, gazing at it from different angles as if it would reveal new details. I would wager we are on one of the borders since we are fighting a war. Unless these are rebels, but I don’t think that’s likely. I don’t see any mountains or oceans, which means that I am either on the east or west side. If only I knew which direction the sun set here.

Dante shook his head, then deposited the coins back in the bag. Even more questions to answer. I should focus on the ones I can find here here.

Refocusing his attention he found, to his dismay, that his squad was gone. Panic welled up in his gut and he looked around for any sign of them. Dante spotted a familiar face in the crowd and chased after it. To his dismay, it was not Svōl, Pauwna, or even Sūnva, but two members whom he hadn’t interacted much with. They were two women, a pair that he had often seen fighting together as the classic ranged attacker and defender team. He didn’t know much about them save that their names were Urvun and Ren. The former focused light into beams while the latter had this strange magic that bent space to divert attacks. He was not quite sure how it worked. Both wore the uniform that Dante had seen many magic users in, a flowing robe with sleeves that ended at the elbows. Urvun had stood out to him instantly, having hair and eyes that were a blue so pale it approached white. Conversely, Ren had green eyes and black hair. Though now that he was looking closely, he could see that it was also tinged green.

Is that a thing here? Having matching hair and eyes? If so, that's one more reason I stand out.

As he drew near, Ren glanced over her shoulder and gave him an … intense look. She stared him down as he got closer, something that was made all the more uncomfortable given the local customs. Which he realized that he was becoming accustomed to. He might be a little dense, but even Dante could realize when he wasn’t welcome. With a lump in his throat, he let distance build up between them and Ren turned back around. He made sure to keep them in sight, however. He had no intention of getting lost.

I can’t let this ruin my day. Where is my sense of adventure? While still keeping an eye on the pair, he began scanning his surroundings.

They were overwhelming.

There was a plethora of goods on sale, some of which were recognizable like blankets, knives, or clothing. Others he could not even begin to guess the purpose of. He eyed fetishes made of some kind of grass, wood, and twine that were being sold out of the back of a cart. A mysterious black haze that was too substantial to be smoke billowed from one fetish and another was alight with blue flame yet didn’t seem to be burning. Right next to that store was a richly dressed man sitting on a rug. Around him, stacked quite high, were cages filled with colorful, giant slugs. Nearly identical to the ones he knew save that their shells were articulated like an armadillo's. That one had quite a line.

This was all without taking into account the people around him. The majority were human but others … There were a lot of others. The most common nonhuman species was whatever Pauwna’s race was, being maybe 1 in 20 of the people here. He also spotted a handful that were like Jack. That is, enormous beyond all reason. Unlike him, they nearly all had a tinge of blue in their skin and tattoos that he thought looked like Celtic Woad. He also passed one small shopkeeper, who was covered in fur, and had weasel-like features. Kind of reminded him of Varvi. Rather than being cute, Dante found the result rather intimidating. Not all were mammals, he spotted one that resembled a dragonfly crossed with a praying mantis packaged in a roughly humanoid form. It had viscous-looking blades that came out of its forearms. Dante did not get a good look before the crowds separated them but noticed that its eyes were quite similar to the ones that were used in his gas mask. He hoped he was mistaken.

I forgot sometimes in the middle of all this bloodshed that I am in a fantasy world.

It was a bit difficult to take all of this in and not lose his unwilling guides. Actually, why am I worried about staying together? Isn’t this the scenario I have been waiting for? I could just become another face in the crowd and escape. It was a tempting thought, but an eddy of unease remained deep in his gut.

Maybe it’s a test? They give me some leeway to see if I do anything suspicious. With his current senses, Dante was not confident that he could detect any spies. Which was not even considering all of the magic and system bullshit that he was unaware of. For all he knew, they could track him by his blood. Something he was sure they had plenty of. It was better to bide his time until he could gather more information.

While he was here, he might as well buy something. There were a few things that he wanted and one that he needed. Most of his day-to-day needs were already taken care of. Food, drink, and the clothes on his back were all provided. The best thing to do would be to save up the money for when he could escape, but that was no way to live. Especially given that he could die at any time.

It took longer than expected, but he found one shop that suited his purposes. It was built into a wagon in which one side opened up to form half of a storefront. The bed of the cart had been lowered to the ground and the sides slid out for more space. It was like an actual building had been transported to the middle of this field. It was intricate enough that he suspected that magic had to be involved. The shelves of the shop were packed with scrolls, crystal balls, and other curiosities. Legitimate old-fashioned scrolls, the kind that were made of vellum. Dante stepped inside, gazed at the owner, then did a double take. From the street, he had pegged her as human. Now that he was closer the truth was revealed.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

For the most part, she was human passing save for a violet film of scales on her cheekbones, slitted eyes, and clawed fingertips. When she caught him looking, she gave him a polite smile that showed pointed teeth. He was grateful that staring was not considered rude in this world. Tearing his eyes away from her, he examined the scrolls on the shelves.

He picked one up and checked to see if she would react. When she didn’t, instead going back to paging through a small book, he opened it. Instead of the text he was expecting, he was confronted with a ritual circle. Oh, this is a magic shop! He greedily scrutinized every inch of the circle and quickly concluded that he did not understand it even a single bit. It didn’t even look particularly magical, though the ink glimmered a little.

Something like this is probably well outside my price range anyway. I’ll get what I need and see what I have left.

He reluctantly set it down and moved on. Paging through more scrolls on this shelf revealed much of the same so he moved deeper into the shop where he found a locked glass case. Inside were three tomes. They truly deserved the title, being thick enough to beat someone to death. They had yellowed pages and he did not doubt that they were older than him. Even if he couldn’t read their titles, the magic formula on their covers was explanation enough. There was no way he could afford these so he moved on again.

It was at the back of the shop, in a dusty corner that he found what he was looking for. Blank scrolls. He picked up one and went to the counter.

“Greetings,” she said to him with that same polite customer service smile.

Dante responded in kind, then placed the blank scroll onto the counter. While he had been following his squadmates, he listened in on their exchanges with merchants and had picked up some phrases. This, when coupled with the tutoring he had received over the last couple of days, he hoped would be enough.

“I want this,” he said and rapped on the scroll.

“Nlum, so nōv wrilrū?”

He didn’t understand any of that so he just nodded. He remembered Urvun saying something right before she paid. What was it? Ah right.

“How much?”

A wave of confusion passed over her face and Dante inwardly cursed. I probably just said something strange. It wasn’t like he could do anything to correct it, so he just waited for a reaction. The woman gazed at his eyes and hair and a look of realization dawned on her.

There it is. I am just a poor foreigner. Please have mercy on me.

“Risu vunan et nao son.”

That he recognized. One of the first things he had memorized in this new land was numbers and he had just learned the names of each coin from Ren. So, he knew she was asking for two of the silver coins and eight of the bronzes. He chewed his lip, considering. He could afford it, but it was over half his pay. Dante had heard that paper was expensive in medieval times, but he had other things he wanted to buy. It was time to do something that he had been dreading.

Haggling.

On his way here, he had seen many instances of it. It seemed expected. To his eye, it looked exhausting. Why can’t they just set the price at what the customer is going to pay anyway? It would save everyone the effort.

“Risu vunan et vin sonru?”

“Wen!” Her bland smile morphed into a self-satisfied smirk and he intuited that she had accepted his offer.

Shit. I suspect I have been ripped off. He hesitated and wondered if he should argue the point, but ended up counting the coin out anyway. It was too much effort and this was stressing him out almost as much as the trenches. His money disappeared into a small chest and she was about to turn away when he cleared his throat.

“I need … uh,” he mimed writing and the woman made a small ah sound. She bustled past him and rummaged around amongst some drawers against one wall of the store. She returned with a strange metallic feather, a small ceramic bowl, and a black block. She put it on the counter and seemed quite pleased with herself. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with that last one, but it wasn’t like he could ask. He would figure it out.

A short exchange later, where he underbid yet again, and he bought all of the items for thirteen more of the green coins. As an experiment, he gave her all three of his silver coins to see how many green coins each was worth. To his surprise, she took all of them and passed him back four green coins. It seemed like it was twenty green to one silver, which was very strange.

He picked up all of his items and then began walking in the direction that Ren and Urvun had been heading in. Dante quickly realized that carrying everything by hand was awkward, so he stopped to pick up a backpack from a general goods merchant. He found himself walking out with a waterskin too. Now he didn’t have to steal Svōl’s whenever he needed a drink. All of this brought his remaining funds to seven green coins, which was less than he would have liked. When he escaped, he would probably need some money on hand. He resolved to save more in the future.

He continued through the market until he spotted Ren and Urvun again. Even better, they had joined up with the rest of the squad save for Sūnva. Dante took his traditional place between Pauwna and Svōl, instantly feeling more secure.

They were standing in front of the only building he had seen since coming to this world. It was big, about the size and shape of a football field. It had an arched roof which towered over the surrounding tents. It was rather plain, not even having windows. It had a certain grandiose charm to it. A feeling helped by the constant stream of people entering and exiting. There was something different about the ones on their way out. They were more … relaxed? Radiant?

There was a stir of greetings and Dante turned to see Sūnva joining the group. There was a brief discussion and then they joined the line heading towards the entrance of the building. As they drew closer, Dante saw that attendants were standing at the wide double doors. The next person in line stepped forward and coins exchanged hands. He had just promised not to waste money but also didn’t want to be left alone. When it was his turn, he caved and handed over the coin. Fortunately for his wallet, it was only one green coin.

Dante entered only to be hit with a thick cloud of warm mist. What is all of this? It was humid enough that water immediately began collecting on him. He could hardly see his companions around him. After a few uncertain steps, it cleared and he got an unobstructed view of the interior. A great bath lay in front of him and in it were hundreds of people. Men and women.

All were nude.