William was exhausted, his work day ended up being eighteen hours long, It wasn't the first or the last time he would be dragging by the end of the day. First up was his stocking job followed by the auto store then the janitor substitute shift. He was hoping to get his life set up so he could have a decent time relaxing in his old age. He was still younger than thirty so he hoped to get it straight before it was too late for him, as he left the late shift he sat in his car exhausted from his long day and relaxing for a brief moment.
Looking out at the night sky he hoped for better days and a long night's sleep. After everyone else had left he went to start his car but a loud clicking noise pierced the night air, cursing his foul luck he pulled the key out and sat back in his seat again. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh, figures this would happen every time something seemed to be going right it all went to shit. As he began to open his eyes a sudden weightless feeling hit him and he realized that everything outside of the car was gone.
A great darkness swallowed the vehicle and it seemed to be seeping into the cracks of the doors, panic began to fill him as he tried to figure out what was going on. It was unlike anything he had felt before, the deepest primal feeling of fear that seemed to burrow deeper each passing second. The feeling grew as the darkness drew closer and closer as another odd sensation began to fill his chest as the darkness touched his flesh. He knew that this was something evil and the feeling felt so wrong but he couldn’t move.
Suddenly a lance of light pierced the darkness that was trying to swallow him whole and began tearing him free from the despair he was feeling. The fear and panic slowly began to fade as the darkness receded from the interior of the car and his vision went white. After what felt like forever his vision began to clear and the bright dots began to fade. He focused on the steering wheel and it helped immensely, after his focus returned he looked out his window and to his surprise he saw the oddest thing of his life. Mountain’s as far as the eye could see now sat in front of him instead of an elementary school.
He was on a dirt road in the middle of a massive field that was filled with an odd red grass that rose on both sides of the car as he just sat and stared at his new surroundings. There were weird trees off in the distance and what looked to be a small cart was rolling down the path behind him when he glanced in his rear view mirror. He sat dumbfounded as he stared at the mule drawn cart. It was small but then he noticed it stopped about fifty feet away before whoever owned it decided to come closer. It slowly traveled down the path as he watched, it clearly was a horse drawn cart but he was still at a loss.
That was when it came to a halt no more than ten feet away, the mule looked irritated as it stood there and he noticed the little man sitting up on the bench. The man eyed his car before he jumped down and began to wander over slowly eying his surroundings after nothing happened he stood staring at the car mouth agape.
The man was short, probably only about three and a half feet tall at most or at least that's what William was able to guess as he sat inside the car. His dark hair and beard covered most of his face other than the glint in his eyes and the smile that began to adorn his face. That was when the man noticed William and his smile seemed to fade some. He then looked around again inspecting everything else before slowly approaching the car. William was curious about where he was and the man carried no visible weapon and didn’t seem to be a threat so he slowly opened the door and stepped out of his car.
William towered over the man his six foot four height was average in his family but in comparison to the man he was a giant. The shorter man had a stocky and muscular build and wore leather armor and it was clear he was definitely interested in his car. The two studied each other as they stood there in silence, then the little man spoke in a raspy voice.
"Greetings Human, I was curious about your wagon, what is it made out of?"
William stood confused as he eyed the man. What wagon was he even talking about and what did he mean by human? Wasn't the man in front of him human, yeah he was short but he looked human enough but the way he spoke the words made it seem as if he was something else entirely. Noticing the confused look on Williams' face the small man bowed surprising William with an introduction.
"I apologize for not introducing myself. I am Kurn Goldenthumb leader of the Golden Terriers."
At Williams dumb founded expression he continued his introduction to explain himself further.
“I am traveling to the dwarven kingdom of Dun Molduhr to sell treasures to the ten kings of the dwarves. I was curious if you would be willing to part with your wagon as it seems unique and made of some unique metal. It will fetch a high price in the city and I would gain great favor for my clan.”
William was still utterly confused, did Kurn say he was a dwarf, and that he was going to talk to some kings? William was processing his words when Kurn tried to get a response from him. William had to focus on a way to respectfully stop his next thoughts so he introduced himself as well.
"I apologize Kurn, I am unsure of where I am and to be honest with you, you're the first dwarf I have ever met. My name is William."
Kurns brow narrowed dangerously before he finished the statement but as he did they raised instead in a look of interest. Kurn took him in for a long moment studying him and his face, apparently what he saw there was only truth so he proceeded in educating William in dwarven customs and what not to do.
"You best not shorten names William most people don't take it kindly but as you seem lost I will let the slight pass this once."
William apologized immediately at his words and Kurn gave a small grin before asking the craziest question William didn’t expect especially after he just slighted the dwarf.
"Now William do you have a surname William or are you a bastard or an orphan?"
Williams' jaw dropped open at the words but he was able to provide Kurn his last name after a moment's hesitation and utter shock at the words.
"I am William Penmark, Kurn Goldenthumb it's a pleasure to meet you."
Smiling Kurn stared at him and then began to move closer before he started examining the car closer. Kurn asked him questions about it and its lack of horse but trying to describe how it worked was beyond his understanding. Kurn asked about the interior of the wagon after looking through the massive windshield. Shrugging William opened the door and let Kurn inspect it before getting in and trying the key one last time.
Much to his surprise it started and Kurn jumped at the noise. His eyes were wide as he examined it closer the excitement in his eyes was growing every second as he stared at it in wonder. Kurn finally decided to break the silence after what felt like an eternity to William since he seemed to stand there mouth agape in awe.
"William what is that noise?"
At Williams chuckling Kurn got closer and examined the interior of the car again much closer this time inspecting dials and anything that seemed to move. The leather seats and clean interior definitely made Kurns eyes bulge more as he slowly sat in the seat. He sat there for a long time looking at knobs and buttons pushing every single one as William watched.
"William Penmark I know that you are new around here but I am curious about a business proposition that would benefit us both."
William was definitely curious about everything so he figured he would ask about the proposition, he knew that he was somewhere foriegn and that he was poor, that and eventually the car would run out of gas. Luckily for him he just filled up the tank so it had about four hundred miles left in the tank.
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He asked Kurn about the proposition as he smiled at the thought of meeting dwarf kings and earning a literal fortune of coin. It would be the first time in his life that money wasn't a problem or at least he hoped it would be. He also figured he would gain knowledge of the world and support of Kurn and his trading company. He was scared about the new world at first as everything seemed barbaric, but he knew that he was not on earth and his fears faded as Kurn and him spoke at great length.
To his surprise he wasn't even upset about getting stuck here now although he was still confused as to how he got here he knew that it was unlikely he would ever return home, he read enough fantasy books to know something like this always tended to be a one way trip but honestly what did he have in his old life. He worked three dead-end jobs for money that would be put in a bank and hopefully be enough to live off of in his old age.
Kurn and him talked more before he walked back to his wagon and William started towards the car, as he did William got in and waited for him to pass before he drove down the dirt road after him. He was still a little leery of trusting Kurn but honestly the way he was talking and the words he spoke left William feeling better as the time passed. It was nearing sunset when they made a turn right and the road widened as other offshoots began to merge with it. The mountains were still distant but Kurn had stopped them in a small village right after the turn off.
That was when he saw more dwarfs stopping to stare at his red car. Their jaws fell open as it moved on its own and they pointed in excitement as it passed them. Then they approached the opening to a stable and the person at the door looked confused as he sat there in the car and Kurn spoke to him.
‘Traveling on tonight would be dangerous as the woods we are about to pass through have Moonbound and Shadowbound that test their skills in the dark of night.’
William was confused but figured he would ask Kurn about them later. The stable boy walked over towards Kurn while watching the human in the red beast with wary eyes. Kurns words broke the boy from his intense gaze.
“I need a stable for my mule and a place to put my wagon and that of my friend William here.”
The boy nodded swiftly and pointed to an overhang that had two wagons beneath it. William and Kurn both took up the last two remaining spots before the boy took the mule to a stable. William thought it best not to show that the key locked the car since it was one of the new pocket keys so he locked the door using the switch on the drivers side and followed Kurn to the Inn.
The tavern was small and smelt of ale, honestly it reminded William of the one time he actually went to a bar with one of his coworkers. She was beautiful but it hadn’t ended as he had hoped because he found out she wasn’t single and then he was down about two hundred dollars after the night but he did have fun talking to her for hours. The patrons all seemed to stare at him as he followed Kurn deeper into the inn but when Kurn motioned him to sit at the table with him everyone looked away in disinterest.
That was when the small woman came to the table to order drinks she was stout but luckily for William she had no beard like the dwarves in all the stories he read. He wasn't sure if he would have been able to keep a straight face if he had met a bearded lady. She addressed Kurn first and Kurn’s response was swift, William had no clue what Kurn had ordered as the woman turned towards him.
William was aware he was poor here and couldn’t afford anything so he asked for a glass of water the lady looked taken aback and Kurn chuckled before asking for another ale for William. The little dwarf woman scurried away before Kurn began to go over the proposition that he was working on all day.
“William my boy I can get you in to see the Elder Kings as long as your willing to give me a cut of the gold, let's say ten percent since it is your wagon I will let you have the larger cut I figure we could get probably fifty thousand max if the Elders fight over the wagon.”
William stared at Kurn for a long moment that deal sounded way too good to be true. Why would Kurn only take a ten percent cut? He could have tried strong arming William for sixty percent at least. He thought on it and decided as long as he didn’t end up betrayed by the smaller man he would end up with a decent amount of gold to start his new life, that was when he thought about the fact he had no idea how the currency worked in this new world.
He looked at Kurn before thinking about it and asked what an average person made and lived off of. Kurn looked at him in complete confusion before he was able to realize why. William backtracked a bit.
“Kurn Goldenthumb I have traveled a great distance and my currency is no good in these lands and I am unaware of the prices and trading in these lands.”
He pulled out his wallet and withdrew the lone dollar sitting inside Kurns eyes went wide as he looked at the green paper in Williams' hand. It was an odd thing and his eyes darted up to William again. He then proceeded in telling William that the average worker made two coppers a week at best and that master craftsman made two silvers a week, making gold was solely a merchant as they had to travel with goods through bandit infested lands or travel great distances with their goods to get the best profits.
William thought about that as they sat there drinking the dark ale. It was way stronger than he was accustomed to but it tasted like a fine whisky which was odd. He was confused at the flavor as he drank it down, he loved it though it definitely topped anything he had ever had before. Kurn eyed the dollar sitting on the table before asking William if he would part with it for a meal and a place to sleep for the night. William smiled at him.
“Honestly I don't know why you want a useless currency like this but I would be willing to take that arrangement because sleeping in the car sucks.”
Kurn stared at him for a long moment trying out the word car but after a few minutes he responded.
“You mean the wagon right?”
William just nodded in response; he needed to remember that no one in this world knew what a car was or would they know its limited mileage and fuel requirements. He thought on the car it cost him Eighteen thousand dollars so hopefully he could get enough money to live comfortably here and maybe find a purpose. After hours of drinking and talking about Moonbound who were warlike and the Shadow Bound who were trained to assassinate and kill he figured it was best they hadn’t proceeded through the night.
Apparently the Moonbound were mostly nocturnal and the Shadowbound trained stealth, evasion, and killing during the night hours as the Moonbound were great adversaries each race had subspecies and honestly it was a lot to take in.
William barely remembered the night before after drinking himself into a stupor. The hangover was the most painful one he had ever had, the ale was so good that he hadn't realized how far gone he was until it was way too late. Even the food he had put away had done nothing to curb the hangover. He walked down stairs to see Kurn sitting at the same table as the night before. Approaching he slowly sat and looked up at Kurn who just smiled.
“I am surprised William you drink like a dwarf, although you're looking a bit off this morning, let me get you some breakfast on me of course.”
William smiled at him and nodded slowly, the same woman from the night before came over to the table and took their order before walking off to what William assumed was a kitchen. Kurn and William sat in silence as he waited, that was when the smell of bacon and eggs wafted through the door and Williams mouth began to water. The moment it was before him he started eating ravenously he couldn't remember the last time he had bacon and eggs for breakfast, he always had cereal as it was cheap and faster to deal with.
After devouring the meal he drank down the cup of dark liquid that was provided, he was glad that they had something exactly like coffee and was surprised at the same time. Apparently it was one of the many goods exclusive to Kurn and his trade group so he knew how to obtain more if he decided he wanted it. He sighed in satisfaction as he leaned back in his chair, the meals were amazing considering everything else he had seen so far in this world.
Kurn smiled as they made their way outside where a small group of dwarves was crowded around Williams' car, he was afraid they would start shit as he got closer and overheard their words.
One dwarf named Ine was talking about taking it and selling it to open his own brothel after his friend asked him what he was going to do with the coin, another was saying something about using it to trade goods but one and all were mumbling about just killing the owner and taking it for themselves. That was until Kurn stepped in, apparently since he was human the other dwarves had no respect for him or any other human for that matter and these dwarves hadn’t realized that Kurn was his sponsor as Kurn had stated it the night before.
Apparently when sponsored by a known trader the person was off limits regardless of race and the sponsor got a cut of whatever the forighn trader was selling. So in the deal Kurn had made with William it would be the ten percent they agreed upon. He was glad when Kurn stepped forward and stated all of this because he honestly wouldn't have been able to get into the car without going through the group and they looked dangerous.
After the group scattered William climbed in and waited with the doors locked and windows rolled up, he didn’t want to risk getting injured or dealing with anyone else. He never really was a morning person but he had forced himself to work long shifts and wake up early almost every morning. Kurns wagon was getting set up and a few minutes later they made their way out of the small town.
As they got closer to the mountains William rolled down the window for some fresh air. The morning air was brisk and he enjoyed the clean fresh air. It seemed cleaner than anything he had encountered before, he figured he would enjoy his last moment having his car before selling it off. As the road widend Kurn slowed down and dropped back next to Williams' window after seeing him wave out of it.
“I know you're not like the rest of the humans but the Elder Kings only respect people with titles, I think I have come up with one that fits you and was curious if I could use it during our audience with them?”
William looked at Kurn before asking what it was, Kurn responded swiftly William Penmark the Collector. Honestly he had no idea why Kurn had chosen that but he figured it was better than nothing so he nodded. The fields began to give way to harsh vegetation and boulders, that was when William realized the top of the mountain was billowing smoke. He looked at it in awe as they drew closer, yea it wasn't a regular mountain it was definitely a volcano. He turned to look at Kurn who had his eyes focused on the rising smoke, as he did he heard him mutter under his breath.
“Home sweet home.”
That was when Kurn turned and noticed his look, Kurns smile broke through his beard as he spoke of his home with great embellishment. The city's name was apparently Dun Molduhr and Kurns family had lived there for over four hundred years. Apparently it was a great honor among the dwarven race to live in this city as it was the largest. The merchants who lived there were highly respected and honored for their service to their capital.
Kurn was one of three such merchant clans, apparently the other two were lesser clans. Kurn rambled on for a long time about them before starting in on why his clan was greater. William was surprised at that because Kurn was traveling alone and if he was so well respected he figured that he could afford to hire help and relax in luxury based on the descriptions he was getting from him.