Stepping out from the smithy, I sucked in air, feeling it frost over inside of me. To my left, a group of children — tiny little kobolds, orcish lads with their tusks just beginning to protrude, and gnoll pups with wild, furry manes — laughed and tussled near an alleyway. They played a game that reminded me of tag, yet with a distinctly otherworldly twist as they slapped, ducked and wove through the crowd, swinging through the adult pedestrians.

However, what caught my eye was the absence of goblin kids. It struck me as odd, especially given that this city was, at least in part, ruled by goblin elites. It made me wonder how many of the supposed allies of the goblins hated their crap as much as the rest of us did.

As my gaze wandered, I spotted another stone shop at a distance. Its windows shined in the midday light, displaying an array of miscellaneous items. Rope, tools, torches . . . the sort of stuff that we always bought once and constantly neglected during tabletop RPG games. Giving a short sigh, I headed over and filled up on necessary sundries, noticing that they barely took up any space at all in my inventory.

Taking a deep breath, I set off, the streets now bursting with activity. The sky above was all white and blue, the shadows of clouds drifted over me as I walked across the way. Moving through the market hubbub, the distant cawing of crows reached my ears and I swung my enough head skyward to see them swirling in circles over the city.

I had the peculiar feeling that they were bidding me goodbye, and I gave them a meaty-handed wave in response.

It was amazing how much time I’d lost. It reminded me of my old life. Back on Earth, I’d get engrossed in an online game, losing myself in a slurry of amazing graphics, team play, and boss raid competitions. Hours would vanish in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it, it would be past midnight. On more than one occasion, Casey would lean over my shoulder, her voice a mix of amusement and exasperation, reminding me that reality awaited the next day in the form of work. But even then, I prided myself on never letting my escapism interfere with my duties. My punctuality was one of the few things I could control, and it grounded me.

Here though—I couldn’t let myself be so distracted.

Navigating through the bustling streets of this new world, I tried hard to slide through the crowd, avoiding any possible confrontations. I couldn’t help but bump and shove, though, my large frame just too large to do otherwise. As I shoved through the locals, I was surprised to see them simply stumble and then pick up where they had left off, entirely unperturbed. Their reactions ranged from apathetic shrugs to brief nods, suggesting that such encounters were nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps in a fantasy town as cosmopolitan and diverse as this, a giant outsider like me wasn’t the strangest sight.

Or maybe they just didn’t want a giant to hammer them into the ground.

As I made my way, a familiar silhouette caught my attention. From behind, it bore an uncanny resemblance to Schustak, our party's goblin swamp druid. I narrowed my eyes and quickened my pace, pushing faster through the crowd. But when the figure finally turned around, I was met with the face of a stranger.

Laughter bubbled in my ears, and I turned in that direction, but there was no mirthful figure to be seen.

Unnerved, I hustled my way back to Elira’s Haven.

When I approached the inn, I could hear the cacophony of conversation emanating from within—animated discussions, boisterous laughter, and even the occasional heated argument. The inn, which had been relatively quiet when I had left earlier, was again pulsating with life.

The mingling aromas greeted me a few paces from the entrance—rich, mouthwatering notes of roasted meat and herbs, undercut by the tang of spilled beer that had been absorbed into the old wooden floors over time. A powerful whiff of flowery perfume permeated the mess of aromas and for a fleeting moment, I was reminded of Casey's hair—a sweet, comforting smell that I'd grown so accustomed to. A sharp pang of longing pierced through me, tugging at the edges of my emotions.

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I paused momentarily, allowing my emotions to dissolve in the iciness of my blood before pushing it aside. Now wasn't the time to dwell on what I missed from my world. With a deep breath, I fixed my gaze on the inn's heavy oak doors, bracing myself for the hustle and bustle that awaited inside.

Giving the inn's doors a good push, I swung them open with a loud creak, revealing the dimly lit common room filled with an assortment of beings. There was a halfling bard in one corner, strumming a tune, his fingers flying deftly over the strings as he sang of women and beer and all he held dear, while a couple of orcs clapped with the words, roaring with joy. To my right, a few armored men loudly discussed their latest raid on some dungeon, and who would get what items from the party pool when they split. The inn's atmosphere was heavy with the mingling of so many different cultures and races, yet, somehow, it worked.

My eyes caught sight of Ike, and I made my way towards him. Spotting my approach, he gave a quick nod, removing a curved-wooden pipe from his mouth. The smoke from it curled up in gouts like dragon’s breath before disappearing into the ceiling. I narrowed my eyes. The sight of a kobold smoking was not something I’d ever guessed I’d see in gamelife, let alone in some fantasy world.

“Don’t like smoking?” he asked, casting an eye to my new set of armor.

“Can’t stand it,” I answered.

“Too bad,” Ike remarked with a smirk, exhaling another puff of smoke. “There are a lot of fine moments to be shared between two beings with a pipe.”

I chuckled. “Sorry I took so long. I lost track of time. These shops and this marketplace are absolutely fascinating to me. Given a full day I bet I would have used up all of the party’s credit and then some. Which, speaking of, why? Why are you all being so good to me? And where is everyone else?”

He nodded, taking a drag from his pipe. “Why don’t you have a drink, on me. You took long enough that I managed to get a few rounds in myself.” He pointed with his pipe stem towards a small pile of gold coins on the table next to him. “Won those off a couple of orcs at arm wrestling. Should well pay for you without increasing your debts.”

I laughed, “Impressive.”

He grinned, showing off his sharp teeth, “Never underestimate the power of technique over brute strength.” He winked. “Or of a good story to set one’s heart at ease.”

I took a seat opposite him, the wooden chair groaning under my weight. We shared a few minutes of comfortable silence, each lost in our thoughts. The inn's atmosphere was warm and cozy, providing a respite from the hectic events of the past days.

When the elven barmaid came by and slid me my tankard, I took a deep gulp and sighed. “Now can you tell me what’s happening?”

Ike took his own swig. “Listen. We’re recruiting you. Seems kinda like you already have been recruited. This thing that we do, that we aren’t going to go into detail on in the middle of this town if you understand what I am saying, it could use some big strong folk like you. Even if you aren’t from around these parts. The people who called you here, they spent a lot of good resources on getting you here because they believed that you’d be a powerful asset.”

I quaffed the rest of the mug, signaling for another. “So you’re being nice to me so that I’ll work for you. I get it. And that debt? This isn’t something where I’m going to be paying interest for the rest of my time here, is it?”

Ike laughed. “Do I look like a nobleman? Listen, that debt is interest free, pay as you go. Nice suit of armor by the way. I’m impressed you can wear it, since I’ve never seen one with a minimum under 10th level.”

I smiled, remembering what Jeldorain had told me before. Level requirements were not something I would have to ever deal with.

“Yeah, it was a good buy,” I answered. “Sounded like you had it made for me, from what the blacksmith was saying.”

“You can thank Elira and her group for that. They gave him a description of what you were and he came up with some pieces he thought would work well for you from that.”

I smiled. It all made sense and I was happy it did. But inside, I could feel coils of doubt turning and snaking through my body. The explanations made sense. So why did I feel all of this dread?

Ike regarded me, sighing and hopping from his stool. “Let’s get out of here and get started on the quest. The others will have set off and found a good place to camp far from town. I’ll track them and get us there by nightfall at the latest, or my uncle be a mongrelman’s hussy. We’ll get there and then we can talk more if you wish. Or talk about the quest if you don’t. It’s going to be a good one; I can feel it in my bones.”

I finished my beer in another swift gulp and stood up beside him. “Yeah. Let’s get it done,” I said, an icy weight over my soul.