I awoke the next morning to Oruan lightly shaking my shoulder, sun beaming in through the opening of the tent. I had somehow managed to sleep in a fair bit, and my best guess would put the time somewhere in the ballpark of nine in the morning. After standing and brushing myself off, I packed up the tent for Oruan, since I slept in.

“We should reach the capitol in a few hours, barring any further complications,” Oruan said, with a little extra emphasis on complications. I wondered, for a moment, why we didn’t travel through the night, before taking into account the fact that it’s hard enough to see in the dense woods during the day.

“I won’t be so much as thinking about experimenting until I find someone who can properly train me,” I reassured. “Plus, I want the opportunity to actually recuperate for a bit. I’m still feeling a little weak from the blood loss.” Ready for my week in the woods to be over, I started back down the narrow path that was leading us to our destination.

It wasn’t too long before the trees and various other foliage began to make way for more clearings, and eventually, open ground. With the more open terrain came the occasional trail that would intersect with our route, left by what I assumed to be horse-drawn carriages moving between more commonly traveled areas. As we progressed further, the relatively flat ground transformed into tall, rolling hills.

With the sun high over my party’s head, we reached the top of one of the hills and my eyes landed on a beautiful sight. A few miles in front of us, was a large stone wall, spanning the circumference of a city. While not containing anything along the lines of a skyscraper, I could still see the peaks of various roofs poking over the top, including a few towers that appeared to be part of a castle.

The view of civilization greater than a small village filled me with excitement, and I turned to my guides. “Is it safe to assume that is where we’re going,” I asked with a smile.

“It is, indeed,” Aniel responded cheerily.

Another wave of excitement swept through me as I turned my attention back to the distant city before me. I continued walking, slightly picking up my pace with my goals in reach. A cool breeze passed over the field, causing a few of the hairs on the back of my neck to stand at attention. A slight sense of unease started to creep its way into my head as I noticed I wasn’t feeling any warmer, despite the breeze having gone. Upon glancing down, my heart skipped a beat as I noticed a soft red glow enveloping my legs. I stopped dead in my tracks, almost causing Oruan and Aniel to run headlong into me.

“Are you feeling unwell,” asked Aniel, concern evident on her face.

“Not exactly,” I said with a shake of my head. “I just wanted to get there a little faster and I’m enhancing my legs, and I don’t want to. How do I stop it from happening?” On one hand, it was awesome that I could cast spells, but on the other, that had already nearly killed me. If I couldn’t control it, I didn’t see myself necessarily making it home in one piece.

The priestess mulled the question over in her head for a moment, before giving her reply. “You should find a distraction. A major part of casting is visualization, so if you’re able to disrupt your focus, you shouldn’t continue to have this problem.”

Reining in my enthusiasm toward the one thing I want most in this world was easier said than done, so I set about asking Aniel more about the gods and goddesses. While I had no intention of revealing that everyone here existed solely as amusement for extraplanar beings, I shared some of my experience from the prior night. That did well to excite her, and get her rambling about everything she knew about the gods.

Apparently there wasn’t all too much to know. The people of Astema, despite being widely religious, were given very little to work with, as far as faith goes. While I had directly interacted with them, as far as anybody was aware, that was something exclusive to me. Knowledge of the gods was largely obtained through the highly occasional telepathically delivered or dreamt prophecy. Deimos and his friends seemed to primarily prefer the hands off approach to making and running a universe. It made sense when I gave it some thought. It wasn’t exactly like gods were chatting up or visiting with anyone on Earth, yet they had plenty of devout followers.

Before I knew it, we were approaching the walls. Up close, they were much more imposing, standing a good five stories tall, and at least ten feet in thickness.Behind a massive iron gate were two guards, clad in much more impressive armor than those in Kentrall. As we approached, their focus was immediately drawn to me, as the very evident foreigner of the group. They eyed me suspiciously before the larger guard spoke up.

“State your purpose of arrival in Nakstal,” he commanded. I stared him down, one of the few remaining obstacles in my path to be able to return home, and began my response, but was interrupted as Oruan prevented me from finding a way to stick my foot in my mouth.

“I have come to make a report to the scouts that a knell was spotted North of the mountains, and this man is seeking tutelage from the academy,” he said as he gestured toward me. Aniel and I nodded in confirmation, and the guards gave us a once-over before the smaller of the two signaled someone off to the side to open the gate. A winch could be heard as the portcullis slowly ascended, and we made our way inside.

Upon taking a look around, I couldn’t help but be awed. While Kentrall was by no means rundown, this city was something else entirely. Gone were the wattle and daub of the small village, and in their place, were beautiful brick and timber buildings of various shapes and sizes. The streets contained a fair amount of both foot and carriage traffic, bustling with life, yet not crowded like the downtown areas of so many Earth cities.There was an occasional glance in my direction as we walked along, but people were mostly just going about their business.

I caught pieces of conversations here and there, as people made their way in and out of various buildings. The occasional store window could be seen displaying their various wares, from clothing, to food, to weapons. Yet, as I looked around, a realization struck me. While I could infer what some of the businesses were from their displays, I couldn’t actually read any of the signs posted on the buildings. Apparently, whatever was working to translate for me didn’t apply to the written word.

I turned to Oruan and Aniel, and sheepishly voiced my concerns. “Uh, so, a bit of a problem…” They looked at me with furrowed brows, awaiting further elaboration. “I’m just now realizing that I cannot read.” The two of them tilted their heads slightly in confusion, before reaching the same conclusion I had come to.

“Oh, my. That will complicate your studies significantly,” Aniel said. I couldn’t help but agree. Taking the time to learn how to read a language I would never encounter again didn’t seem like it would be an appropriate use of time. Hell, why am I even going to bother learning how to use magic? I highly doubt I’ll get to maintain use of it on Earth, I suddenly thought. My subconscious tried to fight back with some “what if” scenarios, but I managed to shove them aside.

“Maybe we should just focus on getting a replacement crystal made, then,” I suggested. “I suppose I should ask; what does that entail, exactly?” The creation of magical artifacts probably wasn’t cheap, but without any point of reference, I didn’t have any real guess as to just how much it would cost.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Aniel responded, grimacing lightly. “The use of teleportation magic is normally restricted. We will need to bring your shard to a royal artificer, and they will likely need to study the orientation of the runes for several weeks before they are able to be replicated.” The news that it wouldn’t be an immediate process tempered my excitement. Despite the fact that it’s magic, it would seem that even power beyond my imagination had its limits.

“Any idea how much it would cost to have one made,” I asked. Aniel, expectedly, shook her head in denial.

“It could be as little as one hundred aluminum pieces, information on your world, or ten thousand platinum pieces. Information on the creation of teleport shards is not publicly available,” she said. My stomach twisted slightly when she mentioned they might want information on Earth, as I would be giving another country’s leadership a way to head straight there, should they choose. The feeling of unease passed quickly, as I reminded myself that guns and bombs probably beat magic spells in a fight.

“Well, regardless of how much it costs, if I’m going to be here for a few weeks, I’m going to need money,” I said as I looked at the two. “Is there somewhere around here I could score some temporary work?”

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“There is always a job to do in a city such as this,” Oruan interjected. “Based on how you handled yourself hunting the knell, I would recommend checking with the dungeoneers. I can escort you there after I’ve made my report, if you’d like,” he offered. If fantasy stories from Earth were anything to go by, rampaging through a dungeon didn’t sound incredibly enticing.

“I’ll have to think about that. I’ll let you know once you get back,” I said.

“Alright. We can meet at the academy once we are done with our business,” Oruan replied, before he departed down a side street, leaving just me and Aniel to continue on our way. We walked for another few minutes until my stomach decided to give some input on the situation.

“I guess we should get some food before we go any further,” I said. “And I’m not letting you pay for me. Do stores here accept barter and trade, or is that only in small villages?” The priestess raised her eyebrows a bit at my preemptive refusal of help, then nodded.

“That is common everywhere. Is it not the same for your world,” Aniel asked, as she began leading me further along the road. While we walked, I did my best to explain the intricacies of commerce and the economy on Earth. By the time we reached our destination, the priestess appeared rather downtrodden, and I couldn’t blame her. Back home, the priestess would qualify as impoverished by a wide margin, and it didn’t help her mood any to hear that that is the rule, not the exception. Apparently, people on Astema had decided to solve homelessness, poverty, and starvation, before turning to other issues.

Shaking off the foul mood I threw upon her, Aniel stepped off the street and into a modestly sized shop. When we entered, we were greeted by a rather bored looking man from behind a counter toward the back of the building.

“Welcome to Keran’s Enchanted Emporium! Will you be in need of assistance today,” he asked, with his best air of customer service. Aniel and I returned the greeting as we stepped up to the counter. I took off my backpack and withdrew the antlers that had been wasting space in there for the past few days. The shopkeeper’s boredom was wiped from his face when his eyes fell on the antlers.

“I was hoping to get rid of these. Any chance you’d be interested,” I asked, smugly confident that the sale was as good as made already. The man gingerly picked one of the antlers up, and started inspecting it. After a few moments, he softly returned it to the counter and named his price.

“Two platinum pieces,” he stated sharply. I looked at Aniel, hoping to gauge how reasonable that was from her expression, but she remained neutral. Not one to take the first offer I’m given, I turned back to the man with a counter.

“They’re in excellent condition, though! Not a scratch on them. I think five platinum would be a more fitting price,” I said. Just because bartering isn’t common on Earth, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t well versed in the art. He appeared as if I had verbally slapped him, and returned with a – presumably slightly – higher offer than before.

“Two platinum and five hundred gold pieces. That is a perfectly reasonable offer,” he rebuffed.

“Tell you what, how about three platinum pieces? Five might be a stretch for you, but surely five hundred more gold pieces won’t run you out of business,” I said with a small grin as I stuck out my hand. Suddenly, a silvery haze filled my vision, and a chill ran up my spine. I tried my best not to panic while I tried to figure out how and why I could possibly have been using magic for negotiating while the shopkeeper contemplated my offer. After a few seconds, he reached for my hand and shook it to finalize the deal. Relief washed over me when he let go, as the haze retreated from my vision, and the cold released my spine.

The shopkeeper pulled out a few coins, roughly the size of half dollars, and handed them to me, taking the antlers and tucking them away behind the counter. Once our deal concluded, Aniel started her attempt to make a sale of her own. While the two of them bartered, I took some time to slow my heart rate and calm down. I managed to succeed by the time they were done, and watched as the man handed Aniel a few miscellaneous coins. We said our goodbyes and made our way back to the street outside.

Continuing in our original direction, the priestess excitedly spoke up. “That was pretty impressive! I didn’t realize you had the favor of Estrel. You seem to be a natural when it comes to magic, so I don’t think illiteracy will hold you back very much at all,” she said. I racked my brain for a moment to try to remember if I had met Estrel the previous night, but turned up nothing, despite the name sounding familiar.

“The problem with that is that I wasn’t trying to use magic. I was just trying to negotiate. But, of course, I wanted the extra platinum so I made it happen,” I said, dejectedly. “Honestly, the excitement has already worn off completely, and now I’m just going to be constantly stressing over whether or not I’m going to accidentally blow something up or impale myself again.”

“That is understandable,” Aniel remarked. “Most people would not be able to handle such a sudden uprooting of everything they’ve ever known, especially when that comes with power previously unknown to them. Even I am struggling to come to terms with recent happenings, despite our situations being nigh incomparable.” I found myself trying to place myself in the shoes of someone from Astema, one day finding a strange man walking through the woods, equipped with alien weapons and armor. When captured, that man then proceeds to throw a wrench in everything you’ve ever known, saying that the gods and magic don’t exist. Then, it’s revealed that he’s not just from another land, but another universe entirely. It would be hard for anyone to reconcile with something like that.

A small wave of confusion washed over me as I wondered why any of that even mattered, but it was quickly dispelled as the smell of food wafted into my nose. Aniel took a turn down one of the roads branching off from the main path, prompting me to follow. We soon entered a bustling area, lined with different food stalls selling various street foods. I took a peek at some of what the vendors had to offer as we walked by, and Aniel guided me to a two story building toward the back of the courtyard.

Crossing through the door, I was surprised to see that the building generally resembled the inn I stayed at in the village. We headed to the bar, where there was a woman patiently waiting for our approach.

“Welcome to the Coveted Moon! How may I be of service,” she asked, beaming with pride.

“We were hoping to get a couple hot meals, and would you happen to have any vacant rooms,” I asked, returning the woman’s smile. She pulled out a ledger from behind the bar, and flipped through a few pages before nodding her head.

“That we do! Meals are five hundred aluminum each, and rooms are ten silver per night. How long will you be staying with us,” she asked. I looked at Aniel to see if she had any reaction, but she simply shook her head.

“Oruan and I will be making our way back to Kentrall tonight, once your business here is sorted,” the priestess stated. “We still have our responsibilities to the village. I am sorry that we cannot be of further help.” While disappointing, I couldn’t say I expected any different. It would be both insane and unfair to expect them to become my own personal escorts for my time away from Earth.

“One room for two weeks, then. I may need to stay longer, but that should be a good starting point,” I said. “Plus two meals for now.” The total came out to one hundred and fifty silver pieces. I pulled one of the platinum coins from my pocket. Upon seeing the coin, the woman let out a small sigh. She hesitantly accepted it and walked into a back room, leaving me thoroughly confused. A few minutes later, she reemerged carrying a literal sack full of coins, and heaved it onto the counter. The bag landed with a loud thud, causing the change inside to jingle around. I looked at it and my jaw dropped, not having expected just how much platinum was worth.

“Nine hundred ninety nine gold, and eight hundred fifty silver is your change.” She made a note in her ledger as I did my best to load the coins into my backpack. “My name is Rowein, please don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything. I’ll be right out with your meals,” she exclaimed. I meekly apologized for not realizing I was making her do so much to count my change. She just gave me a bewildered look, shook her head, and disappeared through another door.

Aniel and I found an open table in the dining room, and took our seats. “You know… You could’ve told me three platinum was that much money,” I joked as we waited for our food. Her face tinted a slight pink at my comment.

“I’m sorry, it didn’t even cross my mind that you’re not familiar with our currency,” she said. I couldn’t help but laugh a little at her embarrassment.

“Don’t worry, I’m not actually upset. It’s good to know I’m more or less rich here now. Didn’t want to have to end up sleeping in the streets or anything,” I offered. Thankfully, that seemed to be enough for her, and she gave a small nod. Shortly after, Rowein found us at the table and brought over our food. It was a beautifully crisped leg of something I couldn’t place, drizzled with a sweet smelling bluish sauce, and what looked to be Astema’s equivalent of mashed potatoes on the side. It was paired with a very aromatic honey mead, and all together nearly forced me to start drooling on the spot.

I thanked Rowein for the food, and she turned to head back to her post. I stopped her before she made it too far, fished out ten gold coins from my backpack, and handed them to her. “Sorry again for making you count out all of those coins. Please don’t hate me too much.” I let out a small chuckle, and the woman’s eyes lit up with joy. Maybe tipping isn’t a thing here, I thought.

“It was no bother, sir! I was simply surprised to receive a platinum coin, we don’t usually see nobility here,” she stated. I nodded my head and rejected the urge to point out her exasperation when she saw it, and instead dug into my meal. It was immaculately delicious; easily something I could eat daily. Aniel and I silently enjoyed the food and pleasant atmosphere, taking advantage of the opportunity to unwind a little. Eventually, though, we began to border on procrastination, and I broke the silence.

“So… You ready to do this? We have an artifact to deliver.”