The dungeon's steps led up to a big hall, which opened up to a courtyard. It was night outside, which he was grateful for because it was a fair bet his eyes would hate sunlight right now.

"What day is it?" He grunted at the guard leading him, whom he had nicknamed 'Beardo' in his head.

"Tridas."

Wednesday. He'd been arrested on Monday afternoon. Forty-eight hours and change.

A closed carriage drawn by four horses was waiting. The door was opened for him and he was unceremoniously helped inside.

"Doesn't the mayor live in the castle?"

"Quiet, you."

The windows were blocked with curtains, so he had no view and no way to know where they were going - not that he would be able to recognize any part of town, anyway. The ride took about half an hour, and each bump and jolt made Jiru wince in pain. He kept grim without complaint though.

When he was let out at their destination it turned out to be a rather posh bungalow with a large walled compound. The driveway they'd just come in through had a fountain in the centre with two dolphins and a topless mermaid in the middle.

Up the stairs and through the luxuriously large door, they were met by someone who had the unmistakable demeanor of a butler. Jiru had met a butler once, when visiting a friend of a friend in Kolkata, and had taken an immediate dislike to both the person and their profession, which, to him at least, seemed to add up to being a lowly manservant with the attitude of an uptight asshole.

"This is the prisoner?" Asshole wanted to know.

"No, I'm wearing these chains for fun."

"Quiet, you." Beardo snapped.

The butler sighed. "Take him to the doctor, please. He is waiting in the downstairs guest room. It has been emptied of anything he may use as a weapon, but keep an eye on him nonetheless, aye?"

Beardo grunted and pushed Jiru forward.

A doctor was indeed waiting in the guest room he was taken to - at the moment calmly sitting with his legs crossed and reading a book. He looked up as Jiru was frog-marched inside to the accompanying rhythm of clanking chains.

"Your patient." Beardo grunted.

"Gods, what'd they do to him? He looks ready to drop."

"Dunno."

"Well, sit him down over there, please."

The doctor examined Jiru's injuries in detail. First he checked the cheek and nose, then tapped his ribs (Jiru growled, making the man jump) and the cut on his arm. He separated the hair on his head to get a better look at the wound up there.

"This is all fixable," He eventually declared.

"Then get him fixed up."

The doctor opened his valise bag and took out three small bottles of potions and another wider, flatter bottle of a pungent smelling ointment. He applied one potion to Jiru's face and chest, another to the cut on his arm and the ointment to the wound on his head. The third potion he opened and handed over.

"Drink."

Jiru seriously doubted this was poison, but he wasn't fond of drinking random drugs from a person he'd just met. Still, it seemed quite obvious where this was going, so he decided to roll the dice and downed the contents of the bottle.

It took about a minute to start working. And then it was excruciating.

Later, he would find out that magical healing actually caused as much pain as injuries did - because it was knitting the body back together reverse of the way it had been broken - you did not feel it normally, because people healed at such a slow rate. When the process was accelerated to a few minutes though, it fired all the nerve centers involved, and not in a fun way.

He came to his senses in a sweat as the pain left him, huffing and puffing as though he had been running for miles, the doctor patting him on the shoulder soothingly. Doctors were doctors in every universe, it seemed.

"It's all right, you're fine." The man said.

"Thanks."

He was unchained and given water to drink while the doc packed up and left.

"There's a bathroom that way," Beardo pointed to a door - "Get freshened up and someone will bring you clothes."

"What is all this? Your guards beat the shit out of me and locked me up in a dungeon, but now all of a sudden I'm a guest?"

"Don't know. I just do as I'm told."

The bathroom had several taps and basins, including one tap set about eight feet off the ground which poured water into a stone bowl full of glass spheres, which in turn let the water flow out into a shower nozzle. The glass spheres were enchanted - a dial controlled the temperature so they heated up the water as it flowed through.

The hot shower was easily the most wonderful thing he had experienced in this world so far. When he got out, there was a barber waiting in the room, who gave him a hot shave. A servant girl brought clothes and shoes, which fit perfectly.

Once all the rigmarole was done, he was led out of the room, this time without any restraints, and no one frog-marching him.

The dining table was huge - bigger than Jiru's entire dorm room had been at the Academy. Around it were ornate, luxuriously huge chairs. There were only two people seated - one a tall human man with hair that was just beginning to grey and who sat at the head of the table in the biggest, most ornate chair with a throne-like high back, looking through some papers, and at his right hand, a man with a close-cropped white beard who looked a bit like Tom Alter, looking all wise and regal wearing a blue robe with a red sash across it. A staff with a snarling dragon-head top stood upright by itself next to him.

Mage.

"Ah, come in, come in," The one at the head of the table - mayor, no doubt - said in a pleasant voice. "Please sit." He gestured at the end of the table opposite him, and handed off the papers to a waiting servant, who whisked them away.

Jiru sat and took in his surroundings. Six guards, armed and armored. A luxurious room with elaborately ornate windows with equally elaborately ornate curtains. A huge life-size portrait of a man who resembled the mayor, likely an ancestor.

Only three places had been set on the table; namely his, the mage's and the mayor's. The mayor had a drink made up of a dark bubbly liquid with a lemon slice and a couple of green leaves floating on it at his right hand, the magic guy only had a glass of water.

And then, suddenly, something happened that confirmed his suspicions about what was going on.

Darkfang was nearby.

He could not tell how he knew, just that he knew. And that cinched it: the guest of honor treatment, the medical attention, bringing him here instead of talking to him at the prison; all of it could be attributed to an interrogation - treat a prisoner bad, and then treat them well, under threat that all the comforts could be taken away and replaced by the misery they had just been freed from - but he could see no conceivable reason for them to bring his sword here.

Not unless they were planning on giving it back.

You need something from me.

That was good news. It meant he had something they wanted, and that was leverage for a negotiation. There was a chance - a chance - he could walk away from this meeting with his freedom.

Four servants led by the butler brought in a bunch of food: flatbreads, some kind of chicken that had either been barbecued or grilled, red gravy with meat and vegetables pieces - not a proper curry, but it would have to do - an amphora of ale, fried potatoes garnished with some finely chopped and fried leaves that looked like oregano but smelled different, a big loaf of what seemed like the same kind of bread he'd been given in prison, except this one was topped generously with meat and vegetables, its crust having turned red and crispy with some kind of sauce. There were also three smaller loaves of a different kind of bread, topped with pineapple pieces this time and smelling sweet. All four loaves were fresh, still steaming from the oven and the aroma good enough to make his mouth water. Three varieties of juice, a big bowl of fruit, and water with fruit-pieces floating around in it, like the fruit sarbath you'd find at street stalls back home. It was all placed in front of Jiru, on his side of the table. The mayor only got a small plate of the fried potatoes and another drink. The mage had a big plate of fruit placed in front of him.

Mayor man opened his mouth to say something, but Jiru had already reached out and pulled the chicken platter towards him without waiting for an invitation to eat.

The cutlery was different - the meat forks only had three teeth, there were no salad/entrée forks, and instead of a knife there were spoons with serrated edges - not sharp but they could cut through food and not cut your tongue when you ate with them. Cool. Jiru usually preferred eating with his hands, but he figured these douchebags would be too surprised by that, and he stuck to the cutlery.

The ale was delicious. The chicken (or whatever it was) was delicious. The bread was absolutely delicious. The pineapple-topped loaves tasted of honey, and surprise, that was delicious too. Everything was delicious.

Nearly ten minutes went by as he ignored his host and focused on that deliciousness, the silence only broken by the sound of his cutlery hitting the plates. Hey, you put good food in front of a foodie, and you only had yourself to blame for being ignored.

He was pouring himself his third mug of ale when the mayor spoke.

"You know, I really thought you would have a lot of questions here."

"You wanted to talk to me. I figured if you had something to say, you'd say it."

"Can't argue with that."

"Rather rude, isn't he?" The mage said with a frown.

"I don't know, I like him."

"And you know I'm not an assassin."

"Oh? Do I?"

"I doubt assassins - or even suspected assassins - get to share a meal with you with their hands free."

A chuckle. "True enough."

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"I don't even know your name."

"I am Rahken Sarketh, Mayor of Everwatch."

"Jiru Vanchi Rama."

"So I have heard. An otherworldly interloper, summoned by a dark ritual and sent to kill me."

"Otherworldly?"

"Some divination spells were cast on you while you were passed out, stranger. I am told that you are less than a week old. An infant, so to speak. Now, the only way that could be the case is if you were born like this - " Sarketh gestured at Jiru's adult form, " - or if you are an old consciousness in a new body. There are very few beings with the kind of power to make this happen. Fewer still who would have a reason to do something like this. Combine that with the fact that you seem to know nothing of our nation and yet speak our language perfectly, that narrows down the possibilities even further."

Damn it.

It was the ultimate sign that he wasn't in a conveniently contrived adventure where the 'brave hero' was surrounded by less intelligent, 'lesser levelled' people who could be bested easily. Everyone he'd run into so far - the city guards, the mayor, and most of all the enemy that he was seeking - they were all competent. Smart. He couldn't afford any more mistakes.

Jiru chose to bite into some chicken instead of responding, lost in his line of thought.

"Uh-huh," The mayor said, smiling to himself. "No need to answer. Tell me, what do you know of Arvane?"

"Ar-what?"

"Arvane."

"No idea what that is."

"Okfir Arvane. The man who tipped off the guards and got you imprisoned?"

"Oh. Him."

"You did not know his name?"

"No."

"Do you know why he claimed you were here to kill me? Or what he truly wants from you?"

He took another pause to sip some ale as he thought it over.

"Prisoner," Mage Tom Alter said, addressing Jiru for the first time and making his opinion of him clear, "I strongly suggest you cooperate here and answer all questions that are put to you."

"And you are?"

"Master Irrin Thaelven, Wizard of the Everwatch Administration."

"Good for you. See, thing is, I have no problem answering the question, I'm just not sure you'll believe me."

"Leave the believing to us. Just answer what you have been asked."

"Fine. Whoever is responsible for getting me locked up - whether it is this Arvane or anyone else - is in collusion with some kind of interdimensional power which is moving people across dimensions and making deals with them. To what end, I do not know. How big the conspiracy is, I do not know. They were meddling in my universe through someone who happened to be a terrorist and a criminal in my world, where I work as a guard. I interrupted the bargain when I killed the shitstain who had made this deal, and I unknowingly opened a portal that dragged me across the multiverse and into here."

The two men exchanged glances, and a long silence followed.

There was a meow from somewhere, and Jiru looked down to see a big, dark blue cat with very fluffy fur. With easy effort it jumped on to the table and took a few bites out of a pineapple bread. Sarketh cooed it over to him, and it ran across and settled on his lap contentedly.

Wizard Thaelven skewered a piece of fruit with his fork and popped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "Did you meet the Guardians of the In-Between?" He asked.

"I did. They were unhappy with these - incursions, as they called them, and they granted me a new life in exchange for using me to lure out whoever was supposed to meet Irfan on this side."

"Irfan?"

"The terrorist."

"Oh. Wait, you offered yourself up as bait?" The mayor looked up from giving skritches to his pet, who was purring happily.

"I thought I'd have a bit more time than I did, but yes."

"Why?"

"Because I saw what they were up to - and if there was someone on this side facilitating this - "

"There could still be a threat to your people, on the other side of that portal."

"Yes."

The two men exchanged a glance once again, and the silence resumed as Jiru went back to his food. The Blue Cat climbed up Sarketh's left arm, walked around his shoulder, and climbed down his right arm back into his lap. When the Mayor, lost in thought, did not resume petting the animal immediately, it meowed and patted him with its paw. Sarketh, who had clearly been well-trained by the cat, absent-mindedly returned to stroking its head. Like doctors, it seemed cats were cats everywhere, no matter what universe.

"I imagine you have an offer for me?" Jiru said.

"Oh?" The man snapped out of his reverie, smiling. "And what makes you say that?"

"My sword is nearby. I can sense it."

He chuckled. "Master Thaelven warned me that this would be the case. So it seems I've tipped my hand. Yes, I do have an offer for you. And I'm willing to give you something in return."

"I'm listening."

"How much do you know about our town?"

"Not a lot."

"How much do you know of the Living Lairs beyond?"

"Again - "

"Not a lot?"

"Afraid so."

"The Wilderness of the Living Lairs stretches for nearly four hundred and fifty thousand square meadoways, Jiru Vanchi Rama. Most of it is unclaimed, untamed land, and constantly spawning monsters. I am told that you actually met one of those."

"The boar."

"Yes. Unusual for one of them to wander this close to town, but it happens. The townspeople called him Lucky Bastard, after he managed to survive three different hunts that were put together to track down and kill him."

"Guess his luck finally ran out."

"The day he met you, yes. Anyway, that is the kind of thing that has been happening in the Wilderness for centuries. When it first started - "

"How?"

"No one knows." The Wizard said, chewing on some more fruit. "There are many, many theories, all of which are the topic of a different, much longer conversation. For now focus on what the Mayor tells you."

"Uh-huh. Sure."

"Suffice to say," Mayor Sarketh went on, "There are many strange things here, including several isolated settlements, towns and cities. Being that it is a landlocked region surrounded by several countries, there are many disputes and disputed lands within and around it. What it all comes down to is - "

"Money, I'm guessing. In spite of all the monsters, the land can be exploited?"

"Smart man. Yes. Every nation that shares a border with the Wilderness has a few outposts in it."

"Even some countries that don't have a border here have settlements within," Thaelven added.

"We all send raiding parties, mercenaries, and soldiers inside, harvesting whatever resources that our scouts find. The monsters within yield powerful bezoars - you know what bezoars are?"

"I do." On Earth people had long believed that bezoars had magical properties - clearly that was actually true here.

"And that's apart from all the usual things you can get from them - hides and pelts, leather, horns, teeth, ivory… sometimes the Lairs that spawn even contain minerals that can be mined. Iron, Carbonadum, Thermium, Ectoplasm, precious gems and metals..."

"I get the picture. And Everwatch is Sarikot's outpost here."

"Yes. Due to the fact that we are so remote, surrounded by other countries and settlements willing to trade for the things they need, and considering the amount of money and resources that pass through, almost all the outposts are, uh, how do I put this - "

"A good opportunity to skim a little off the top, for a corrupt official who's in the right position - like a Mayor, perhaps?"

There was an awkward silence as the mage's hand froze with a fruit-skewered fork halfway to his mouth, and Sarketh paused in stroking the blue cat's fur. The cat, annoyed, mewed and patted him with its paw but, much to its further annoyance, did not get a response.

Jiru noisily slurped down a whole pint of ale. Then let out a burrrrrp in one of the super-loud beer-belches that he was famous for. The volume was high enough to startle the poor feline, which hissed at him.

The Mayor threw back his head and laughed.

"Oh, I do like this one!" He declared.

Standing up, the man cuddled his pet in his arms as he resumed stroking its back.

"I will be honest with you, Rama - the short version of what you need to know is that I was - still am, in many ways - an ambitious man," He said, absently walking around, "I wanted position and power, and Arvane, who happens to be one of the richest merchants in town - "

"Backed you for mayor." Another politician, bought and paid for by 'campaign contributions'. What have I gotten myself into?

"Yes. I have held that post for near fifteen years, and Everwatch has prospered under control. There is more wealth and resources moving through us than ever before, and casualties are at an all-time low. But in exchange for his money and support in my bid for mayor, I agreed to look the other way regarding certain things, an agreement I have upheld. But it is also an agreement that has grown more and more strained over time. Arvane is no mere merchant. There are people that I know of that he has killed or has ordered killed. Good people. I kept telling myself I was doing it - "

"For the greater good."

"You have heard these arguments before."

"Not personally, but I have heard of them being made by people in power, and I have seen how that usually played out in my world."

"So you know that all such arguments are, more or less - "

"Bullshit."

"I won't deny it. So, to sum up our story, I have been gathering information against Okfir for a while, preparing to make my move, and Thaelven here has long harbored a suspicion that Arvane is working for someone practicing the foulest kind of forbidden magics. Sacrifices, Blood Harvesting, maybe more that we haven’t even considered. And you have just confirmed this."

"So why not kick his door down and arrest him? A few days in that dungeon would loosen his tongue about everything you need to know."

"If it were that easy, I would not need you."

"Lack of evidence?"

"And the influence that he wields, which allows him to operate with near-impunity. If I overtly move against him, I will be killed or arrested. Either way, it would fail and end my career at the very least."

"So you were waiting for your chance - which is now."

"Yes."

"But you don't want my help arresting him."

"No."

"So…" Realization hit him and he put down the glass of fruit sarbath that he had been about to take a sip from. "Ah, shit."

"See, I knew you were a smart man."

"You need me to run."

"Yes."

"Tie up his resources so you can use the distraction to make your move." What is it with people wanting to use me as bait?

"Yes."

"Which is why we're having this conversation here and not at the castle. He has guards in his pocket."

"Yes."

"Ferren?"

"Unlikely. I will grant that the woman annoys me to no end, but she is a rule-follower to a fault. I don't see her selling out to a criminal, let alone a Fell Mage."

"But you can't be sure."

"No."

"Hence the healing, the fresh clothes, and the meal. You need me at full strength."

"Yes."

"I don't suppose if I called you a son of a bitch you'd be offended? Or be hearing that opinion for the first time?"

There was another shocked silence which was once again broken by the mayor's booming laughter. Whatever else he was, the man had a good sense of humor. Or at least he was pretending to. Whether or not it was true, and whether or not that good humor would continue to be extended to Jiru after he had served the man's purposes was another question.

Jiru wiped his chin with an expensive-looking hanky-napkin-cloth-thing as he considered his options. He had no desire to go back to the place he'd just been let out from, that much he knew for sure. The only question was how much he wanted to play into the mayor's hands. One way or another though, it was clear he needed to escape.

"I can almost hear the wheels turning in your head," The mayor said. "I should add that Arvane is out of town at the moment - he left right after you were captured, I do not know why - but he is returning tomorrow. He asked me to keep you alive and unharmed until his return. Which means your choices run out when that happens."

And it also explains why we're having this talk now. You waited till the dungeon made an impression on me. And until you could add a timeline to pressure me into making a decision. It also creates all kinds of excuses to explain the breakout to Arvane. You had me brought in to make sure I wasn't dying. Fixed up my wounds because he told you to keep me alive. A plausible explanation for everything.

"Hmmm." He grunted outwardly, taking a sip of the sarbath. "You have a plan to make this escape happen, or should I improvise?"

"A bit of both."

"Might want to send the cat away then. Don't want to see it get hurt."

"Oh." He looked down at the purring furball in his arms. "Good idea. And I appreciate your thoughtfulness."

"Sure."

The man stopped pacing and gestured to someone Jiru couldn't see, and the asshole butler came forward with two servants in tow. One of the servants was carrying a small ornate wooden chest, and the other Jiru's backpack-harness with the leather dimensional Box. The butler gestured to the table, and the servants placed the chest and pack where he indicated - clearly butlers, being assholes, considered themselves too above such menial tasks as actual servant work, further cementing their reputation with Jiru. The first servant proceeded to take the blue furbag from the mayor, making it meow a bit in disappointment, and took it away.

Somewhere in the shadowy corners of the room an invisible man, standing perfectly still but ready to pounce, relaxed slightly. Maybe he wouldn't have to kill the stranger, after all.